Raiders’ rookie looks past quiet start
Ferrell learning ins and outs of defensive scheme
Clelin Ferrell’s statistical line against the Packers last Sunday was notable in that he didn’t really have one.
Ferrell, the Raiders’ rookie defensive end, and the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, played 36 defensive snaps in the Raiders’ loss at Green Bay but did not record a tackle, a sack or anything that would have logged him in the “Final Defensive Statistics” section of the official game book.
Given where Ferrell was drafted, it was an omission that might invite added scrutiny.
In April, after the draft’s first round, general manager Mike Mayock said the Raiders had ranked Nick Bosa and Ferrell as the top two defensive ends. Bosa, who was drafted second overall, has four sacks and a forced fumble for the unbeaten 49ers. Edge rusher Josh Allen, who went seventh overall, leads NFL rookies with five sacks for Jacksonville. Brian Burns, who went 16th to the Panthers, is second with 4.5 sacks, just ahead of Bosa.
Comparatively, Ferrell’s start has been decidedly quiet. In five games — Ferrell missed the Week 5 game against Chicago with a concussion — he’s tied for ninth among rookie defensive linemen with 10 tackles, and tied for 13th with one sack, recorded in Week 1 against the Broncos.
On Wednesday, head coach Jon Gruden struck a positive tone when asked about Ferrell.
“If you’ve watched the tape, you know he’s not playing defensive end very much — he’s playing inside more than outside,” Gruden said. “Part of that’s out of necessity. We hope at some point to get him some more snaps at defensive end. But he’s doing pretty good. He’s a good run defender. And hopefully we can get him some more atbats rushing the passer. I know a lot of the statisticians are just looking for sacks. But he’s done a lot more than just have one sack.”
Against the Packers, by The Chronicle’s count, Ferrell lined up on 25 of 36 snaps as a defensive end in a fourman defensive front. On 11 snaps, Ferrell lined up inside with down linemen on either side of him. A majority of his inside snaps came on third down. Ferrell was credited with one quarterback hurry Sunday, chasing Aaron Rodgers to the sideline on an eventual throwaway.
When Ferrell slid inside, it was often with Benson Mayowa and Maxx Crosby rushing from the edges and Maurice Hurst the other interior rusher. The Raiders used that front mostly in likely passing downs. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said sliding Ferrell inside has been a part of “trying to get our best guys in the best matchups” in their nickel defense.
“If you look at his film at Clemson, he played on the edge, he played inside, he played over the center sometimes,” Guenther said. “He was a versatile guy, that’s why we liked him. So he can handle those things. He’s very smart.”
Ferrell, on Wednesday, said he wants to be “that kind of Swiss Army knife you can move up and down the line. But it just takes time to really learn so you can become effective at it.”
Five games in, Ferrell gave a balanced assessment of his rookie season to date.
“Some things I’ve done well, some things I’ve still got to pick up on, and some things I’ve still got to really hone in on,” Ferrell said. “I’m still a very young player. A lot of it is, I don’t know what I don’t know. A lot of things I haven’t seen before.”
Ferrell said he is adjusting to NFL offenses that are “completely different” than ones he faced in college at Clemson.
“I wouldn’t say it’s so much the speed or stuff like that,” Ferrell said. “Just a lot of new looks. I played college for three years and I kind of knew, like, every formation teams were running. It kind of became repetitive to the point I knew where the ball was going. In the NFL, it’s a whole lot of different formations. I just haven’t gone against them to really hone in on, OK, I really know what plays are coming, stuff like that. It’s all going to come with time.”
As for lining up inside, taking on guards or centers rather than tackles, Ferrell said the challenge is not the “power part” but that “everything happens faster when you’re on the inside.”
“On the inside, you’ve got to kind of rush with your eyes because the quarterback will step up, maneuver through the pocket, things like that,” Ferrell said. “It’s 3on2 on the inside. Do you know which way the protection’s coming, which way the back is sliding? That’s all the different little ins and outs you can kind of get away with not knowing when you’re on the edge.”
Josh Mauro, the Raiders’ sixthyear defensive end, said Ferrell has handled his rookie year “like a pro.”
“He knows there’s a learning curve,” Mauro said. “But he’s not using that as an excuse. He just understands that he doesn’t know necessarily all the ins and outs of everything we’re doing, so he’s just trying to learn and grow every day. As a teammate, I think he’s doing a hell of a job.”
Guenther said Ferrell is recovering from an illness he dealt with in London and has “had a good week this week.”
“We’re going to get him some opportunities,” Guenther said. “I think (he’s) again a rookie player who is learning each and every week what this thing’s about, and hopefully he can continue to progress.”