Raiders’ Clelin Ferrell racking up more praise than stats

Clelin Ferrell remembers one bit of advice his coaches at Clemson gave him about what makes people successful.

He has tried to put it in practice in his football career.

“You have to be able to do the common things in an uncommon way and that will always bring you success,” Ferrell said. “It’s just about work ethic and the way you execute.”

The film shows Ferrell doing just that in his second season and it is leading to great success.

Pro Football Focus, which gave the No 4 overall pick in 2019 mixed reviews in his rookie season, indicates Ferrell has taken a big step forward in his second year.

He ranked as the No. 12 edge rusher in the league through five games and received an 86.7 grade in the upset win over the Chiefs, good for third-best in the league among edge defenders in Week 5.

All of the accolades despite not posting eye-opening stats.

He has nine pressures, but hasn’t recorded a sack or a tackle-for-loss. Ferrell does have eight solo tackles, though his value has truly shown up in the havoc he wreaks on the line of scrimmage. That has particularly been the case against the run.

“I think he’s getting better every week,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said Thursday. “He pushes the pocket and he’s really good in the run game. Everybody looks at sack numbers, but when you’re pushing the pocket and making the ball come out sooner than it should, it helps everything else out.

“I think he’s only going to continue to get better because he works his tail off every single day. I’d love to have a hundred guys like him.”

Ferrell views himself as just another member of the defensive line, even while the hype around his play grows..

Next up is an opportunity to keep it going against the Buccaneers and legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who Ferrell admits to admiring as a kid.

“You see all the different things people are saying, but you can’t really pay attention,” Ferrell said of the recent praise he’s received. “At the end of the day, I’m more worried about our group. … Being a leader, you feel like you have to continue to put pressure on the quarterback because that’s what it’s about. Sacks, pressure and hits. We have a good opportunity to do that Sunday against arguably the greatest football player ever. ”

Injury report

Rookie wide receiver Bryan Edwards once again missed practice on Thursday with foot and ankle injuries, headlining the list of non-COVID absences.

Cornerback Keisean Nixon missed practice again with a groin injury.

Defensive tackle Maliek Collins was limited for the second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.

Wide receiver Rico Gafford (hamstring), offensive tackle Sam Young (knee) and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (pectoral) practiced in full for a second straight day.

Cornerback Lamarcus Joyner (hamstring) and defensive end Carl Nassib (toe) were both limited on Wednesday and Thursday.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.