It was a crazy first night of the 2019 NFL Draft for the Oakland Raiders, and here, we dive into the three players who the team added to the roster.
The Oakland Raiders went into the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft with 3-first round picks desperately needing an infusion of talent. Rumors and smoke screens of trades were abound heading into the evening and the team was expected to move around the draft board. In the end, General Manager Mike Mayock and Head Coach Jon Gruden held their ground and came away with three potential starters.
Let’s jump into the Just Blog Baby film room and take a closer look at these newest additions.
Round 1, Pick No. 4: Clelin Ferrell, Edge, Clemson
While fans and TV analysts may have been taken off guard by the team selecting 21-year old EDGE Clelin Ferrell with their 4th overall pick, he fits this defense perfectly. There was a gaping hole at the EDGE position and Ferrell fills that need.
Raiders new EDGE Clelin Ferrell pic.twitter.com/ABQvk0Ir1q
— Chris Reed (@ChrisReed_NFL) April 26, 2019
Ferrell is 6’4″ weighs 265-pounds and will be the edge setting defensive end the Raiders lacked last season. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther favors power over sheer speed and Clelin fit that mold perfectly. He tends to win with a combination of an explosive first step followed by power. He does need to develop counter moves and tended to bog down if his initial rush was stymied.
Unlike some of the pass rush specialists in the NFL, Ferrell will impact the run game as well. He put up 166 total tackles but a staggering 50.5 of them came behind the line of scrimmage. This is going to help a defense that ranked 30th against the rush in 2018. He can also turn the corner and get to the quarterback having totaled 27 sacks in his 44 game Clemson career.
There could certainly be an argument made that perhaps he would have been available later in the draft, but there is never anything wrong with a team “getting their guy”. There was a big gap between the Raiders 4th and then their 24th selection. If they couldn’t find a good enough deal to drop a few spots, it’s better to just make the pick and secure the player.