Las Vegas Raiders: Year 2 expectations for Clelin Ferrell
By Kenny King
What are the expectations for Clelin Ferrell in Year 2?
Ferrell has been working hard this offseason, often posting his workouts on his Instagram, and he has put on a measurable amount of size and has focused on maintaining his speed and flexibility, which are always two areas that can deteriorate when weight is put on. From the videos posted, he has shown great strides, but this is obviously in shorts and in the gym, and football is a game played on the grass in pads.
While we truly wont know what Ferrell will do in Year No. 2, we can certainly speculate. With the departure of fan and player favorite coach Brenston Buckner, and the addition to veteran coach Rod Marinelli, look for the Raiders to solidify the defensive line, starting four with Ferrell effectively placed at strong side defensive End, his natural position.
This move would allow Ferrell to flourish where he plays best and will set the edge and containment in a division where mobile quarterbacks have been the Achilles heel of the Raiders.
Ferrell playing with a stronger, more solid frame, and a year of NFL knowledge under his belt will allow him to build upon his end of the year success that he sustained in his final three games in which he was most effective against the run recording a tackle for loss in each game. Ferrell’s strengths are as a run stopper who can apply pressure to quarterbacks, which frees up 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Maxx Crosby to attack the signal caller. With Ferrell’s added strength and knowledge going into the 2020 season we should expect to see his sack production numbers double especially since he wont be playing out of position for half of the season.
This is an incredibly well-rounded player who should become a strong leader on not only the defensive unit, but the team. Ferrell comes from a championship pedigree and his hard work and effort do not go unnoticed, a player who has been held to high regard from his coaches and teammates Ferrell will continue to improve and intends to impress in 2020.