Believe it or not, it was just four years ago that the Raiders used the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on defensive end Clelin Ferrell. It was one of the most shocking selections in the first round in recent memory as no one mocked him to the Raiders at that spot.
Fast-forward four years and Ferrell is now set to move on from the Raiders. He certainly had an up-and-down career so far, but he’s now set to play elsewhere in 2023.
In a recent article by ESPN, they listed 32 players that could use a fresh start this offseason. That list included Clelin Ferrell, who is scheduled to become a free agent later this month. Here is what the site had to say about the former Clemson defensive end:
“It’s not Ferrell’s fault the Raiders used the No. 4 overall draft pick on him in 2019; edge rusher was their primary need that year and Ferrell was their second-ranked player at that position behind Nick Bosa, who went second in that draft.
Ferrell’s production has dipped since he started 15 games as a rookie and had 4.5 sacks. In 15 combined games since, he has 5.5 sacks, with the Raiders bringing in Yannick Ngakoue and Chandler Jones the past two years to replace him. Ferrell has been a solid special teams player, but if he wants a fresh start, it would seemingly have to be somewhere else.”
Ferrell should find another team fairly quickly as he is a former first-round pick with a lot of experience. Plus, he is a solid special teams player and can be used all across the defensive line.
While that selection certainly didn’t work out for the Raiders, there is still hope that Ferrell can turn his career around elsewhere. We will find out later this month where the former No. 4 overall pick lands in free agency.