After an up-and-down rookie year, former No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell is having a strong start to the 2020 season. While he has yet to record a sack, Ferrell has tallied two quarterback hits, two pressures, a pass deflection and has yet to miss a tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ferrell is the team’s third-highest graded player on the roster, only behind Johnathan Hankins (78.4) and Hunter Renfrow (75.3). Ferrell is the site’s 14th ranked edge rusher through three games, ahead of players such as Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt and Cameron Jordan.
Ferrell has shown the ability to set the edge and keep a quarterback like Cam Newton inside the pocket. That skill set will be important again this week as the Raiders will take on the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. While that doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet, his ability to contain quarterbacks and stop the run allow him to be an effective player without gaudy sack totals.
Ferrell still needs to become a more efficient pass rusher, his ability to impact the game outside of just bringing down the quarterback has been crucial to the Raiders. He continues to be an important player on the team’s defensive line and if they can get more production from players like Maliek Collins and Maxx Crosby, the team has a chance to have one of the better defensive lines in the NFL.
Sacks will come soon for Ferrell. But in the meantime, he’s figuring out a way to become a useful player in Paul Guenther’s defense. Expect the sophomore from Clemson to continue to improve under the guidance of defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who has already helped Ferrell developed into a much better player.
