After coming up just a game shy of the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers are looking to reload one of the NFL’s best defenses from a season ago. The NFL’s new league year officially started on Wednesday and the 49ers have already made moves for players like Javon Hargrave and Sam Darnold.
On Thursday, the 49ers made another addition, as the team announced that it had signed former first-round pick Clelin Ferrell to a one-year deal. The Clemson product was originally drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Ferrell never lived up to his draft slot, recording just 10 sacks, 102 tackles, 11 passes defended, and two forced fumbles over a four-year span with the Raiders.
The #49ers have signed DL Clelin Ferrell to a one-year deal.
Welcome to the red and gold @Cle_Missile! #FTTB
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) March 16, 2023
In his final season with the Raiders, who declined his fifth-year option in April 2022, Ferrell recorded two sacks, along with 25 tackles and two passes defended. He appeared in 16 games during the 2022 campaign, starting in just four games. After starting in 26 games during his first two NFL seasons, he started just four in his final two seasons with the Raiders.
Ferrell will look to revive his NFL career under defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, as he will be part of one of the league’s best defensive line rotations. We’ll have to see if he’s able to live up to his draft slot with San Francisco, as he’s just 25 years old.
