It’s fair to say that Clelin Ferrell’s rookie season hasn’t been as dynamic as many had hoped. Through 13 weeks, the former Clemson defensive end has only 31 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss. However, the raw stats don’t quite tell the whole story.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ferrell has actually been a significantly better player in the second half of the season as he has recorded two straight games of at least a 70 grade. In Week 13, he actually had the best game of his career as he was dominant against the run. Take a look at what the site had to say about his performance against the Chiefs:
Ferrell provided his second consecutive 70.0-plus graded performance in Week 13 thanks to a productive showing against the run. Across 23 run-defense snaps, Ferrell secured both of his tackling attempts, one of which was made behind the line of scrimmage. He wasn’t perfect — he failed to record a single pressure across 14 pass-rush snaps — but he still ended the game with a PFF grade of 71.9, the best mark of his career so far.
While Ferrell could still improve as a pass rusher, he’s becoming one of the team’s best run defenders. It’s not exactly the reason the Raiders selected him at No. 4 overall, but he is finding ways to help out despite not being able to create a ton of pressure on the quarterback.
However, the team and fans should be encouraged with Ferrell’s play over the last few weeks. If he can continue this positive momentum into the final month of the season, that would ease a lot of concerns about their defensive ends going forward.
