Las Vegas Raiders: 3 players who could surprise in a good way in 2021

Las Vegas Raiders: 3 players who could surprise in a good way in 2021

Clelin Ferrell

Plenty of media pundits and fans alike have called the former two-time college All-American a “bust”, and when considering he was a top-five pick, the numbers would suggest that maybe this is a fair assertion. But let’s not put all the blame on Ferrell, as the expectations placed on the defensive end were pretty unfair, especially considering how big of a role he was expected to play immediately.

Some players need more experience and seasoning to shine, so while this may not be what you want to hear for a player selected so highly, it seems to be the case for Ferrell. 2020 may not have been a “breakout” season so to speak for Ferrell, but in the 11 games he featured in last year, he surely showed significant strides of improvement.

With him playing a sort of a hybrid defensive end/defensive tackle role, it seemed that Ferrell became the best run-stopper on the Raiders’ front four. However, he was selected to get to the quarterback, and going in his third season, he may show the world he is capable of providing this ability.

With a season hopefully completely healthy, Ferrell will have less pressure to strictly be on the hunt for the quarterback. The Raiders added defensive end and pass-rushing specialist Yannick Ngakoue, who should ease much of the burden off of Ferrell, as well as opposing defensive end Maxx Crosby. With a more talented front four, expect Ferrell to slide back into his hybrid role, which should work wonders for the defense with having the ability to stop the run and also provide a solid burst to get to the quarterback.

He may never turn into the double-digit sack pass rusher that everyone anticipated or had hoped for, but he should be a consistent defensive player on the Raiders for a long time coming and this season will be the start of that.