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Oakland Raiders: Ranking the team’s top 5 offseason moves

By Sayre Bedinger

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders walks through the tunnel to the field prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders walks through the tunnel to the field prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Clelin Ferrell #99 of the Clemson Tigers react against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Clelin Ferrell #99 of the Clemson Tigers react against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

2. Drafting Clelin Ferrell

The theme of the Oakland Raiders’ draft was obviously leadership. They prioritized leadership over overall talent and I don’t say that as a slight to Clelin Ferrell, who was unquestionably a top 25 prospect in this year’s draft.

There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with Ferrell, but will he be a better NFL player than Josh Allen? That remains to be seen.

Regardless, there’s no sense looking back at this point until these guys take the field. The Raiders drafted Clelin Ferrell to be a leader for their defense after his stellar career at Clemson.

I have talked about this with other teams like the Miami Dolphins taking Minkah Fitzpatrick last year and Christian Wilkins this year, but picks like this lead me to believe the Raiders identified culture creators in this draft class and were willing to sacrifice perhaps a little in the ‘tangible’ category for a lot in the ‘intangible’ category.

I love it.

Ferrell has the tall task from an outsider’s perspective of replacing Khalil Mack, but what he is for the Raiders is a foundation piece for the future defensively.

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