SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When Clelin Ferrell was seeking a new home to spark a career that hadn't lived up to his lofty draft status, the San Francisco 49ers were the perfect fit.
Niners defensive line coach Kris Kocurek has a history of getting the best out of previously unproductive players and helping them go on to successful NFL careers.
Ferrell had seen his good friend and former Raiders teammate Arden Key do just that, turning one good year in San Francisco into two more lucrative contracts, and decided to follow suit by signing a one-year deal that could be worth up to $2.5 million if he meets playing time incentives.
“Coach Kris is someone who regardless of where you come from in the league, regardless of what a scout, regardless of what a front office may have thought about you, he’s a guy where whatever ceiling you might have set for yourself, Coach Kris is someone who takes the ceiling off,” Ferrell said. “He tells you never let somebody put a ceiling on you. I think that ability gives his players confidence.”
Kocurek takes much of the nuance and thinking out of playing defensive line, urging his players to push up field aggressively instead of trying to decipher the play.
It's a strategy Ferrell hopes will get the best out of his game after he had just 10 sacks in four seasons with the Raiders after being drafted fourth overall in 2019.
“I think having Coach Kris has been really, really big for me,” he said. “Just from the aspect of me taking a lot of reading out of my game and more so now I’m out there just reacting. I feel like we're just a pack of animals out there and we're really just playing off of instinct.”
Now Ferrell gets the chance to face his former teammates with the 49ers set to have joint practices with the Raiders on Thursday and Friday before playing them in the exhibition opener in Las Vegas on Sunday.
He looks forward to the opportunity and holds no bitterness over how things worked out with the Raiders, who didn't exercise his fifth-year option or show interest in bringing him back on a lower contract.
“I think my time with the Raiders was a blessing,” Ferrell said. “I can live and be happy with what happened because I know that I developed as a player. I gave my all to the organization and left it better.”
Ferrell's stint with the Raiders was mostly underwhelming after he was a surprising high pick after being projected to go far later in the first round.
He had 4 1/2 sacks as a full-time starter in 2019 and then saw his production and playing time dissipate the next three seasons with the Raiders. He started just four games and played less than half the defensive snaps the past two seasons, recording just 3 1/2 sacks and four tackles for loss.
But Kocurek said he got a good report on Ferrell from his first defensive line coach, Rod Marinelli, and feels he will fit well in San Francisco's aggressive defensive front.
“Those first couple of years he was allowed to play fast and then the last couple of years he’s kind of been in a hybrid-type defense which again asked him to do a lot of different things from dropping and spying and just doing different things," Kocurek said this spring. “The snaps that you saw him actually put his hand down and is keying the ball and getting off, you see that explosive initial twitch out of his stance and ability to cover ground quickly. He’s just a really long player that I think can match up on the edge in the run game for us.”
With Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa holding out of training camp in a contract dispute, Ferrell has gotten plenty of opportunities in practice, even going against All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.
Bosa is expected back before the start of the season, putting Ferrell in a fierce competition for playing time with second-year player Drake Jackson, fellow free agent acquisition Austin Bryant, veteran Kerry Hyder Jr. and rookie Robert Beal Jr. among others.
The pecking order there should start to shake out following the two practices against the Raiders and the exhibition opener.
“I think that’s exactly what it is, it’s competition, it’s tight," defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “We’re not going to see a separation or a change until we go against someone else. So, I’m excited about (going) up to Vegas and play the Raiders. So, we’ll see exactly where we’re at at that point and hopefully guys can separate themselves.”
NOTES: The 49ers signed RB Jeremy McNichols to a one-year deal and waived RB Ronald Awatt.
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