Mike Mayock says Clelin Ferrell was his guy, no matter where he picked

By Bryan Perez | May 6, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 03: Defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell of Clemson works out during day four of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 3, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Mike Mayock described Oakland Raiders first-round pick Clelin Ferrell as a foundational player who he was going to draft no matter where his first pick in Round 1 was.

Oakland Raiders GM Mike Mayock received a lot of criticism after he selected former Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. And it wasn’t because Ferrell isn’t deserving of a first-round grade; instead, it was because Mayock could’ve probably still selected him with the 24th pick, or at the very least, traded down several spots instead of overrating his value.

Mayock, however, doesn’t care all that much about what outside opinions think he could’ve — or should’ve — done with the fourth selection.

“At the end of the day, people act like the thought wouldn’t occur to me to trade down and still get Cle(lin),” Mayock said via Sports Illustrated. “He was our guy, OK? And whether we got him at 4, 8, 10, it didn’t matter. He was gonna be our guy.”

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Give credit where credit is due here. Mayock stuck to his convictions and regardless of where Ferrell was graded by draft media (and probably 31 other teams), he didn’t allow the outside narrative to influence his opinion of him, which, by the way, is astronomically high.

“He’s a foundation player. And even more importantly, he’s a three-down defensive end who can stick his hand in the dirt and play on run downs and pass downs. He’s not a guy who’s going to be a designated pass rusher. He’s in there on every snap. And he’s gonna set the tone for us, as far as these young guys are concerned. I couldn’t wait to get to that pick.”

Mayock’s description of Ferrell is spot on. He is a three-down player and he’ll make his living in the NFL as a well-rounded and reliable starter who the Raiders or any other team can plug into the lineup with little worry.

That said, he doesn’t offer the kind of 12-15 sack upside a player taken in the top five picks usually possesses. And that’s where the real issue is here. It’s not that Ferrell isn’t a quality NFL prospect. He is. He just isn’t a special player who warranted a top-five selection, regardless of what Mayock wants to sell the media moving forward.