Raiders Roster Evaluation: Clelin Ferrell

The 2021 NFL Draft is now behind us, and that means teams across the NFL are in the process of piecing together their entire rosters.

The Las Vegas Raiders are likely no different before what could be a pivotal fourth season of the second Jon Gruden era.

That's why we'll be going over roster evaluations for the Raiders players and position groups to see how everyone's stock measures up heading into the summer.

There's no denying that, relative to expectations, Maxx Crosby, a defensive end we previously previewed, has outperformed expectations as a former fourth-round pick.

It also would be fair to say the Raiders first pick in that same 2019 draft, Clelin Ferrell hasn't yet fully lived up to his draft status as a former fourth pick overall.

It was a surprise to many when the Raiders selected Ferrell, and it's only made the pressure put on him to produce greater over time. Popular in the locker room, and a fan favorite on and off the field, Ferrell, now has to make the jump in production.

When it comes to counting stats, Ferrell hasn't lived up to expectations, having only 6.5 sacks in his first two seasons.

Looking deeper, however, Ferrell was actually one of the better edge players in the league last season.

He ranked 16th among all edge players in the league in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus.

It was the highest-ranking any Raiders defender received from PFF last season and included having a top-15 grade in run defense.

Being able to receive grades like that shows that Ferrell has the ability to make a significant impact for the Raiders' defense.

For a team starved of pass rush production, the Raiders just need Ferrell to translate that into more sacks and pressures.

If he can, he'll be able to prove the Raiders right in taking him fourth overall.

If he can't, then there's going to be a decision to make on if the team will pick up his fifth-year option.

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