❚ Clelin Ferrell makes a name for himself,
INDIANAPOLIS Three times a reporter mispronounced his name at his NFL combine news conference last weekend, and three times Clelin Ferrell politely corrected him.
“I try to do it every time it happens,” Ferrell said. “Not trying to be just an a-hole, but I take a lot of pride in the end. I want to kind of change the narrative. ’Cause I get it. It is spelled like Clelin with a (soft) ‘e.’ But I just want to, hopefully if I keep playing well more people will really learn it and I won’t have to do that anymore.”
Ferrell said his first name — pronounced CLEE-lin — is derived from family tradition.
His father’s name was Clevester. His oldest brother is Clevester Jr. He has a sister named Cleta and another brother named Clevon.
“I don’t know if this is true or not, but my sister Cleta told me that my dad’s great uncle, his uncle, was Cleophis and they were considering naming me Cleophis,” Ferrell said. “So thank God they didn’t name me that. Thank you. That would have been bad.”
Whatever the story, Ferrell played well enough in his four years at Clemson that his name – should roll off the tongue of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at some point during the first round of April’s draft.
Ferrell had a team-high 111⁄2 sacks last season as he helped the Tigers win the college football national championship, their second in his three seasons as a starter. He’s regarded as one of the best pass rushers in a loaded draft class.
“There’s a lot of great players here, a lot of great players on the defensive line,” Ferrell said. “For me, I’m just happy to be considered one of them. That’s all that really matters.”
Ferrell is considered one of the most polished players in this year’s draft, regardless of position, and a prospect with near impeccable credentials off the field.
He grew up in a large military family with eight brothers and sisters, all at least 10 years his senior, according to the Charleston (South Carolina) Post and Courier. His father served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War but died of cancer in 2012. And his mother served in Operation Desert Storm.
“They loved the aspect of just integrity, so they always demanded that I did the right things, went about my business the right way and did it in a manner where it was respectful,” Ferrell said. “They were a one-year contract.
Chicago Bears — Feb. 26: Agreed to terms with G Kyle Long on a restructured contract.
Cincinnati Bengals — Feb. 28: Named Nick Eason defensive line coach, Tem Lukabu linebackers coach, Brad Kragthorpe offensive assistant coach, Jordan Kovacs defensive quality control coach, Todd Hunt assistant strength and conditioning coach and Garrett Swanson assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Cleveland Browns — Feb. 25: Waived WR Daniel Williams. Re-signed OL Greg Robinson. Houston Texans — March Placed the franchise tag on 4: really big on not hanging around the wrong people, so they always talked to me about making sure that I keep the right company. So it was just a lot of different things that they drew from the military and brought into my life for sure.”
At Clemson, Ferrell was part DE-LB Jadeveon Clowney.
Indianapolis Colts — Feb. 26: Signed TE Ross Travis to a one-year contract extension.
Los Angeles Rams — Feb. 25: Named Wes Phillips tight ends coach, Zac Robinson assistant quarterbacks coach and Eric Henderson defensive line coach.
Minnesota Vikings — Feb. 27: Exercised their 2020 option on coach Mike Zimmer.
New England Patriots — March 4: Released TE Dwayne Allen and WR Darren Andrews.
New York Giants — March 4: Re-signed QB Alex Tanney.
Oakland Raiders — March 2: Signed OL Denzelle Good to a one-year contract extension. DARRON CUMMINGS/AP of a defensive line that he said will go down as “the greatest defensive line ever in the history of college football.” Fellow Tigers linemen Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence are probable first-round picks, and Bert Huggins and Austin Bryant also were at the combine.
Philadelphia Eagles — Feb. 25: Named Mike Bartrum assistant tight ends coach, Matthew Harper assistant wide receivers coach, Roy Istvan assistant offensive line coach, T.J. Paganetti assistant running backs coach, Luke Thompson assistant special teams coach, Matt Burke defensive special assistant, G.J. Kinne offensive special projects, Joe Pannunzio director of team development, Andrew Berry vice president/football operations and Jeremiah Washburn advanced projects coordinator. Promoted Phillip Daniels to defensive line coach, Carson Walch to wide receivers coach, Greg Delimitros to vice president/equipment
Ferrell thrived playing all over Clemson’s defensive front, but while he benefited from playing next to so much talent, he’s not considered quite as good an athlete as some of the other top edge rushers in this draft class.
“If you want to put a number on it, I don’t think he’s going to be a 14-, 15-, 16-sack guy,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “But I think he can be a really, really good 10- to 12-sack guy who’s going to also hold up in the run and not going to have to come off the field. And to me that’s pretty valuable.”
Ferrell said his versatility sets him apart from other pass rushers in this year’s class. But while Michigan’s Rashan Gary and Houston’s Ed Oliver, among others, declared themselves the best prospect in the draft, Ferrell took a much more judicious approach.
“I’m not going to say I’m going to come in and tear the league up, but I know what type of player I can become,” Ferrell said. “I don’t know what the progress is. I don’t know what my future beholds. All I know is when I come in I’m going to compete, work hard and try to earn the respect of my team and try to bring a championship wherever I go play.”
If that happens, everyone will know how to say his name. operations, Patrick Dolan to vice president/football technology and Jon Ferrari vice president/football operations and compliance. March 1: Agreed to terms with DE Brandon Graham on a three-year contract extension.
San Francisco 49ers — Feb. 26: Placed the franchise tag on PK Robbie Gould. Feb. 27: Named Wes Welker receivers coach, Miles Austin offensive quality control coach, Shane Day quarterbacks coach, Zach Yenser assistant offensive line coach, Bobby Slowik offensive assistant and Brian Fleury defensive quality control coach.