Clelin Ferrell

Clelin Ferrell (born May 17, 1997) is an American professional football defensive end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, winning the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award 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, making Super Bowl LVIII with them.

Clelin Ferrell

Ferrell with the Washington Commanders in 2024
No. 99 – Washington Commanders
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1997-05-17) May 17, 1997 (age 27) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:	Benedictine (Richmond)
College:	Clemson (2015–2018)
NFL draft:	2019: 1st round, 4th pick
Career history
Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders (2019–2022) San Francisco 49ers (2023) Washington Commanders (2024–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
2× CFP national champion (2016, 2018) Ted Hendricks Award (2018) ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2018) Consensus All-American (2018) 2× first-team All-American (2017, 2018) 2× first team All-ACC (2017, 2018)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Tackles: 159 Sacks: 17 Forced fumbles: 4 Fumble recoveries: 2 Pass deflections: 12 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Ferrell was born on May 17, 1997, in Richmond, Virginia. Clelin attended Benedictine College Preparatory, a private military academy in Richmond.^[1] 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.^[1][2]

College career

At Clemson, Ferrell suffered a hand injury that forced him to redshirt the 2015 season.^[3] 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.^[4][5][6] He led the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss in the 2018 season.^[7] He declared for the 2019 NFL draft following the season.^[8]

College statistics

Year	GP	Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		Solo	Ast	Total	Loss	Sack	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
2015	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2016	14	21	23	44	12.5	6	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
2017	14	33	33	66	18	9.5	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2
2018	15	29	26	55	20	11.5	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	1	3
Career	44	84	82	166	50.5	27	0	0	0	0	5	1	0	1	5

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Broad jump	Bench press	Wonderlic
6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m)	264 lb (120 kg)	34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m)	10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m)	4.40 s	7.26 s	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)	25 reps	21[9]
All values are from NFL Scouting Combine[10][11]

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

Ferrell signing an autograph at the Oakland Raiders training camp in 2019

Ferrell was selected by the Oakland Raiders fourth overall in the 2019 NFL draft.^[12] This selection was met with widespread criticism as Ferrell was widely regarded as a late first round or early second round pick, while several other defensive linemen more highly-rated than Ferrell like Josh Allen and Ed Oliver were available.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15] 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.^[16]

Ferrell was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Raiders on November 17, 2020,^[17] and activated on November 26.^[18] 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.^[19] On December 30, 2020, Ferrell was placed on injured reserve.^[20] He finished the season with 27 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles through 11 games.^[21]

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.^[22] Ferrell recorded half sacks in a Week 7, 38–20 win against the Houston Texans^[23] and a Week 13, 27–20 win against the Chargers.^[24] He recorded his final sack as a Raider during a Week 18, 31–13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.^[25]

San Francisco 49ers

On March 16, 2023, Ferrell signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.^[26]

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.^[27] The following week he recorded his first full sack in a 34–3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.^[28] He recorded another sack in a Week 14, 28–16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.^[29] 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.^[30]

Washington Commanders

On March 18, 2024, Ferrell signed with the Washington Commanders.^[31] In 14 appearances (10 starts) for the Commanders, Ferrell logged 1 forced fumble, 3.5 sacks, and 26 combined tackles.

On March 15, 2025, Ferrell re-signed with the Commanders on a one-year contract.^[32]

Statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles						Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	TfL	Sck	Sfty	Int	Yds	Lng	TD	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2019	OAK	15	15	38	24	14	8	4.5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	0	0
2020	LV	11	11	27	18	9	3	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	0
2021	LV	16	0	14	8	6	1	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2022	LV	16	4	26	8	18	3	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
2023	SF	17	17	28	15	13	6	3.5	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0
2024	WAS	13	10	25	11	14	3	3.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Career		88	57	158	84	74	24	16.0	0	0	0	0	0	12	4	2	0	0

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Tackles						Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	TfL	Sck	Sfty	Int	Yds	Lng	TD	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2021	LV	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Both of Ferrell's parents served in the U.S. military.^[1] He has four brothers and four sisters, all at least 10 years older than him.^[1] Ferrell's father Cleavester died from cancer in March 2012.^[1]