After a rough rookie season, Clelin Ferrell has officially broken out in 2020. He had his biggest performance of the season in Week 13, recording two strip-sacks on Sam Darnold and he made countless other big stops.
While he doesn’t have the raw sack totals of someone like Maxx Crosby, he’s been the team’s best defensive lineman by a mile. In fact, he’s been their best defensive player all season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ferrell is the team’s highest-graded defender (78.3) and ranks among the top-15 edge defenders in the NFL. He’s totaled 30 pressures on 278 pass-rushing snaps, but it’s his work in the run game that has made him such a force. Ferrell has 18 “stops” on the season in addition to three battled passes and two sacks.
While Ferrell hasn’t yet developed into a sack monster, he’s producing at a very high level. His ability to make plays in the run game every week makes him one of the most consistent players on the roster from game to game.
As the Raiders enter the final month of the season, they are going to need their star defensive end to continue to find ways to be productive. His play over the last few weeks is encouraging for a team that needs a lot of defensive help.
It took some time, but Ferrell is starting to look like the top-five picks that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden hoped for when they selected him at No. 4 in the 2019 NFL Draft.
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