The Raiders have selected defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Ferrell, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, starred for three seasons at Clemson. As a junior, he recorded 11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss on the undefeated national champions.
Over his three-year college career, Ferrell finished with 27 sacks and 50.5 tackles for loss.
Though he grew up in Virginia, Ferrell isn't new to Bay Area football. He mirrors his game after former 49ers and Raiders star pass rusher Aldon Smith. His plan is to be what Smith never lived up to be in his derailed NFL career.
“I know his career didn’t pan out the way a lot of people wanted, but (he’s) the reason I wear No. 99,” Ferrell said Saturday during College Football National Championship media day at SAP Center. “I feel like I could be … and I don't know if anything’s over with [Smith's career] -- that’s still in the works -- but I feel like I can be what he should've been and where he should be in his career right now.
“I know he has had some setbacks, and I always pray that he'll return to the level he was. I always looked up to him and his game."
Later in Thursday's first round, the Raiders took running back Josh Jacobs out of Alabama with the 24th overall pick and defensive back Jonathan Abram out of Mississippi State with the 27th overall pick.
