Clelin Ferrell was one of the more surprising stories of the 2019 NFL Draft. Projected to be taken late in the first round, Ferrell was selected No. 4 overall by the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) which led to fans and experts being in shock. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Ferrell talked about the night he was drafted.
“My draft experience was a great one,” Ferrell exclusively told PopCulture. “Obviously same as everybody — a lot of nerves. One thing I definitely do remember though was I remember one of my real good friends. I grew up with this guy, same age as me and I had never seen him cry before or get like this emotional. But I remember the second my name got caught and I look over my shoulder and I just see … he was just bawling crying. I’m just like, ‘Dang.’ This is when you realize it’s much bigger than you.”
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Coming out of college, Ferrell was one of the best defensive prospects in the 2019 draft class. He Clemson to two national championships and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 after recording 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. In his rookie season with the Raiders, Ferrell recorded eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 15 games.
“I learned most how to multitask most definitely,” Ferrell said when asked about what he learned after his rookie year. “Cause what people don’t understand as a rookie and specifically in my shoes, I grew up on the east coast, played ball on the east coast, but moved to Oakland. A lot of guys moving to places where they living by themselves for the first time, paying bills for the first time. Lord knows your car breakdown, you changing the tire for some of them for the first time.”
With the 2022 NFL Draft coming and going, Ferrell has some advice for the incoming rookies. “I think the biggest advice that I would have for incoming rookies is to keep it simple, understand that this is, a career, it’s a passion that we love, but it’s a career,” Ferrell said. “You know, you have to treat it as such. It’s something where nobody’s going to be, pulling you up out of bed. Nobody’s going to be telling you where to go like it was in college. Just understand that you have to take it to a whole another level and, embrace it. It’s a great opportunity for sure. Because you get to change your life, your family’s life. And, you get to chase your dreams. So just don’t let all the outside noise, the stuff that comes with it affect you.”
