After three preseason games, the Raiders have to be feeling awfully good about their 2019 draft class. However, not everyone is sold on No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell despite limited action.
In a recent piece by Pro Football Focus, the site posted the grades of every first-round pick from the 2019 draft throughout the preseason. Unfortunately for Ferrell, his grade of 52.8 was one of the lowest in the class. Take a look at why Pro Football Focus has been so low on the Raiders’ rookie:
The Oakland Raiders are coming off a historically bad year in terms of pass-rush, so it’s almost imperative that they get some form of early return from their No. 4 overall selection. So far, that’s not the case. In two games for the Raiders — he missed Week 3 — Ferrell managed single-game grades of 68.9 and 34.9, recording just two hurries from his 32 snaps as a pass-rusher.
In Ferrell’s defense, he hasn’t played a ton this preseason, as Pro Football Focus pointed out. However, his snaps against the Cardinals should be encouraging as he continuously chased Kyler Murray all around the field.
While PFF may be somewhat low on the former Clemson defensive end, the Raiders couldn’t be happier with their first pick. Look for Ferrell to start at defensive end in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
