Last season was tough for Clelin Ferrell. As the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, he was expected to make an immediate impact. The main problem with those expectations was that he wasn’t often put in the position for that.
Ferrell is an edge rusher. He was the star edge rusher for the National Champion Clemson Tigers. Then he gets drafted by the Raiders and they line him up at defensive tackle, which doesn’t utilize his strengths.
After a lackluster rookie campaign, and the addition of interior pass rusher Maliek Collins, it seemed Ferrell might get his shot to let loose around the edge full time and put up some sacks. It doesn’t appear as if that will be the case.
“Clelin had a lot of snaps last year, both outside on first and second down, and we put him some inside, so he’s a guy we can move around,” Defensive Coordinator Paul Guenther said Thursday from training camp.
Well, if you can’t change the difficulties, change yourself to meet them. That’s what Ferrell has done this offseason.
“I’m a guy that plays up and down the defensive line,” said Ferrell. “I had to put on a lot of weight and just gained a lot of knowledge through the offseason just to be able to do that. So, happy to experience the last year and I feel like I’m ready to go.”
“He’s come back in tremendous shape,” Guenther said of Ferrell’s transformation. “He looks like a different guy, he’s a lot quicker, a lot stronger, so I’m looking for some big things from him.”
The jump from college to pros can be a shock to the system for many players. Even those who aren’t being asked to switch positions, which is essentially what’s being asked of Ferrell.
After such a rough season in which he posted 4.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits, he has received some harsh criticisms. Something he’s probably not used to from his time at Clemson. His controlled demeanor during camp last year has given way to a bit of an attitude that could work for him.
“I feel like the biggest thing is just cutting it loose,” Ferrell said of the key to playing two positions on the defensive line. “Last year, kind of going through that process and learning about it, I feel like too much of me was thinking, trying to learn everything but it’s a learning curve regardless of what people got to say. People don’t know what it takes to play or do what was asked of me last year. But aside from that, I’m ready to go. Anything that’s asked of me, I feel like I’m ready to do it and do it at a very high level.”
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