Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players to keep an eye on during the 2021 preseason
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players to keep an eye on during the 2021 preseason
Clelin Ferrell, Defensive Line
This is an interesting tale here, as by now, most know of the pedigree of Clelin Ferrell, a former top-five pick who has yet to deliver on his highly drafted status. Entering Year 3, it seems that many have given up on Ferrell becoming a superstar at the next level.
Seen as a reach at pick No. 4 in the 2019 NFL Draft despite being an All-American at Clemson in college, Ferrell has so far proved many of the doubters right, unfortunately. He has shifted between defensive end and defensive tackle, providing better results as a run stopper than a pass rusher, which the Raiders were hoping they would be receiving.
He is currently behind Maxx Crosby and newly acquired end Yannick Ngakoue on the depth chart, and rightfully so.
So far, it appears that Ferrell could be used more on the inside than out, and last season, he was actually pretty solid against the run. However, he has only 6.5 sacks in his career, and that caused some to think of him as a bust, as it was as a pass rusher where he was supposed to make his impact.
The first choice in the Mike Mayock era has been a bit of a disappointment, but hopefully this preseason he repays the Raiders and shows he indeed has the potential to turn around a somewhat slow start to his career. A strong preseason showing would silence some of the doubters and provide Ferrell a chance to get more reps during the regular season.