Raiders Answer to Losing Khalil Mack Gets Widely Crapped On

The Oakland Raiders shocked the NFL when they decided to trade superstar pass rush Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears last year. Their reasoning for it seemed driven by two goals. First was the lack of desire to pay Mack top money. Most expected he would become the highest-paid defender in the NFL (which he did). Then there was the matter of the return.

Head coach Jon Gruden felt he would fetch a huge return in draft picks, allowing the team to rapidly rebuild the roster into something formidable. At least in theory. They did indeed receive a healthy package including two 1st round picks, a 3rd round pick, and a 6th round pick from the Bears.

In return Chicago got Mack, a 2nd round pick in 2020, and a conditional 5th round pick in 2020. The pass rusher then delivered 12.5 sacks in 2018 and went to the Pro Bowl. Oakland's entire defense had 13 sacks in total, making it clear they had to address the edge position quickly in the draft.

They did just that at #4 overall, taking Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell. A move that caught more than few people by surprise, and not in a good way.

Most don't see Ferrell being anything close to what Khalil Mack was

Now this is not to say Ferrell is a bad player. He was highly productive during his college career a Clemson. A run that included 27 sacks and two national championship rings. However, the general belief is what people saw in college is pretty close to his ceiling. His upside for the NFL is limited. So to take him 4th overall, one pick higher than Mack was?

One can imagine the lack of enthusiasm.

This is not to say Ferrell won't be a good NFL player. He has the capacity to become a good defensive end. Yet somebody capable of replacing what they had in Mack? That is remote. One thing is for sure. The Raiders best hope that he delivers because if he turns out to be a bust or even average, they'll likely catch a ton of heat from fans for it.