There were reports that the Oakland Raiders loved just about everyone in the first round of the draft. There were rumors they would trade up and rumors they would trade back. There were rumors galore and yet the only rumor that turned out to be true was that the pick at number four would be a surprise.
With the fourth overall pick, the Oakland Raiders selected Clelin Ferrell, defensive end out of Clemson.
With Ferrell, the Raiders fill a need at the edge rush position in a guy who compliments Arden Key, who has a slighter build and who was a liability in the run game at times last year.
Ferrell is both a good pass rusher and a good run defender making him more of an all around prospect than some of the other big names at edge like Josh Allen or Brian Burns. He can come in right away and have an impact for the Raiders as a run defender even if he takes a year to develop as a pass rusher (as happens with most pass rushers going from college to the NFL).
Most mock drafts had Ferrell going much later in the first round, which will automatically leads to the dreaded “reach” analysis from some. But here’s the thing. No one really knows and players go much earlier and much later than in mocks every single year. If you love a guy, then it makes sense not to take the risk of trading back.
Clearly the Raiders loved Ferrell and in the end, all that matters is whether or not he turns out to be a good player in the NFL and I for one believe he is going to be very good for the Raiders.
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