OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 07: Clelin Ferrell #96 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after sacking quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter at RingCentral Coliseum on November 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Clelin Ferrell has been bulking up this offseason.
As the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of an otherworldly Clemson program, edge rusher Clelin Ferrell faced some unfortunate growing pains in his debut season with the Raiders. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet enough to deliver on such monstrous expectations, but heading into his sophomore season, Ferrell himself may prove to be a special kind of monstrous.
He’s been hitting the gym hard down in Miami ahead of his sophomore campaign, and the ultimate results figure to be unavoidable.
Expect a physically bigger and badder Clelin Ferrell when the Raiders make their Las Vegas debut in 2020.
After being listed at 262 pounds in his first year, the 6-foot-4 Ferrell is now clocking in at 275, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, and we’re not talking about throwaway weight here. “You probably won’t even recognize me,” Ferrell said of his bulked-up look. “Seriously.”
Trainer Mark Hall specified lower body strength as an area of improvement for Ferrell, who stacked up a modest 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits for the Silver and Black in 2019 despite starting 15 games and appearing in 62 percent of defensive snaps.
The work surely sounds like it’s paying off, as Hall insists that Ferrell 2.0 will impress the fans in Vegas with some improved agility and lateral quickness. He said the most important target for improvement was his first step off the line.
Given that the Raiders spent a good few years getting spoiled by dominant performances from Khalil Mack, that’s definitely good news.
Ferrell has a long way to go before he’s on Mack’s All-Pro destroyer level, but his commitment isn’t in doubt. No matter what happens when football commences in Sin City, the second-year version of the former Clemson Tiger won’t be lacking for focus.