We know when a player comes to Washington what the regime that brings him in thinks of him, and why they added him – but did you ever wonder, for anyone who comes via trade or free agency, what the person who originally drafted a player thinks of them?
Mike Mayock, who is calling Commanders-Bucs for Westwood One Sunday night, joined Craig Hoffman Friday to preview the game and what has changed for both teams since their Week 1 matchup…but Craig, knowing that Mayock was the Raiders’ GM when current Commanders defensive end Clelin Ferrell was drafted, had to ask Mike about that.
“I think we clearly over-drafted him, but what we saw was a guy we thought could be an inside-outside player, could play defensive end and defensive tackle,” Mayock said of Ferrell, who was selected No. 4 overall on 2019. “He was big enough and long enough, about 6-foot-5, 270 pounds. We thought he could be a difference maker both inside on pass downs and outside on run downs. I think he’s a smart, tough football player, and I think he can do those two jobs, but just not at the level of what we had hoped for.”
Ferrell had 105 tackles (15 for loss) and 10 sacks in four seasons with the Raiders before 28 tackles (6 TFL) and 3.5 sacks last season in San Francisco, and Dan Quinn and Adam Peters brought him to DC to be part of their revamped pass rush this season.
He had 25 tackles (3 TFL) and 3.5 sacks in 13 games, with one of those coming in the opener against Tampa Bay, and Washington is hopeful he can be a force again on Sunday.
“I think what you're looking at is a solid veteran player. He's in his sixth year, played well for San Francisco last year, and has had a solid effort for Washington this year, but hasn't made a difference as a pass rusher,” Mayock said.