Clelin Ferrell

Clelin Ferrell (born May 17, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, winning the Ted Hendricks Award in 2018 prior to being selected fourth overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2019 NFL draft. Ferrell has also played for the San Francisco 49ers.

Early years
Clelin Ferrell's parents, Cleavester and Faye Ferrell, are both in the military. Ferrell has four brothers and four sisters, all at least 10 years older than him. His parents enrolled Clelin at Benedictine College Preparatory, a private military academy in Richmond, Virginia, because they believed that he needed some more structure. Clelin’s father, Cleavester, died from cancer in March 2012, when Clelin was a freshman in high school. The entire Benedictine junior varsity team attended the funeral to show their support. Clelin committed to play college football at Clemson nearly three months before he tore his ACL, which caused him to miss his senior football season. Ferrell was still ranked as the fifth best prospect in the state, the seventh best weak-side defensive end, and the No. 101 prospect in the country by 247 Sports.

College career
At Clemson, Ferrell suffered a hand injury that forced him to redshirt the 2015 season. Returning the following season, he was named co-defensive rookie of the year award with Dexter Lawrence after recording 50 tackles, 12.5 for loss, and six sacks. Ferrell was named first-team All-American in 2017 and won the Ted Hendricks Award and ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 after recording 53 tackles, 11.5 sacks, four pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. He led the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss in the 2018 season. He declared for the 2019 NFL draft following the season.

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders
Ferrell was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. This selection was met with great criticism as Ferrell was widely regarded as a late first round pick, while several other defensive linemen more highly-rated than Ferrell like Josh Allen and Ed Oliver were available. On June 18, 2019, Ferrell signed his four-year rookie contract, worth a fully guaranteed $31.2 million, including a $20.8 million signing bonus. Ferrell made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. In the game, Ferrell made three tackles and recorded his first sack on Joe Flacco in the 24–16 win. In Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football, Ferrell recorded 8 tackles and sacked Philip Rivers 2.5 times in the 26–24 win.



Ferrell was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Raiders on November 17, 2020, and activated on November 26. In Week 13 against the New York Jets, he recorded two strip sacks on Sam Darnold that were recovered by the Raiders during the 31–28 win. On December 30, 2020, Ferrell was placed on injured reserve. He finished the season with 27 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles through 11 games.

On April 29, 2022, the Raiders announced that they would not pick up the fifth-year option on Ferrell's contract, making him a free agent in the 2023 offseason. Ferrell recorded half sacks in a Week 7, 38–20 win against the Houston Texans and a Week 13, 27–20 win against the Chargers. He recorded his final sack as a Raider during a Week 18, 31–13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

San Francisco 49ers
On March 16, 2023, Ferrell signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

Ferrell recorded his first forced fumble as a 49er in a Week 8, 31–17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, during which he also recorded his first half sack for the team. The following week he recorded his first full sack in a 34–3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded another sack in a Week 14, 28–16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In the 2023 season, he started in all 17 regular season games. He finished with 3.5 sacks, 28 total tackles (15 solo), one pass defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Washington Commanders
On March 18, 2024, Ferrell signed with the Washington Commanders.