Clelin Ferrell
Miami Dolphins·#98·6'4"·260 lb·7th year·ClemsonClelin Ferrell is a DE for the Miami Dolphins (updated October 30, 2026).
Model Score by season
Down 3.2 from last season.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
A rotational pass rusher who never matched his draft billing.
The case for
- Clemson 2018 CFP National Championship ring plus the 4th overall draft pedigree gives him real college résumé.
- Seven years of NFL survival across three systems gives him plug-in pass-rush rotation veteran value.
The worry
- Five straight tier 8 STTM finishes for a 4th overall pick puts him in the worst negative draft-slot-vs-outcome class at the position.
- Career arc plus age 29 plus the multi-team journeyman pattern flags the closing-chapter trajectory.
What to watch: Whether Ferrell holds an active-roster spot for the full 2026 season or whether the structural bust trajectory closes the chapter.
Full take and bio
Five straight tier 8 STTM finishes (#113, #93, #67, #63, #65) for a 4th overall pick puts Ferrell in the worst negative draft-slot-vs-outcome class at the position. The Clemson 2018 CFP National Championship pedigree plus the 4th overall draft slot established the highest pre-draft expectations that the NFL trajectory has never matched. The 2026 question is whether Ferrell holds an active-roster spot or whether the structural bust trajectory closes the chapter.
Ferrell came out of Clemson as the Las Vegas Raiders' 1st-round pick (4th overall) in 2019 after winning the 2018 CFP National Championship with the Tigers. He was widely considered one of the largest top-5 draft busts of his class. He has bounced through the Raiders, 49ers, Commanders, and back to the 49ers across seven NFL seasons. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#113) in 2021, tier 8 (#93) in 2022, tier 8 (#67) in 2023, tier 8 (#63) in 2024, and tier 8 (#65) in 2025.
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Plays like: Austin Bryant, Aaron Kampman, Dondrea Tillman. Built like: Joe Tafoya, Erasmus James, Ryan Kerrigan.
Clelin Ferrell Injury StatusNot listed
Clelin Ferrell is not on the injury report as of Oct 30. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
Draft & College
Round 1, pick 4 to the Oakland Raiders in 2019, out of Clemson (ACC). He went earlier than consensus.
In college, 2016-2018, 44 games: 27.0 sacks, 49 TFL, 52 pressures, 161 tackles. (partial record) Coming out: 25 reps bench, 7.26s 3-cone, 4.4s shuttle.
What this pick usually becomes. Of the 100 players taken as a top-10 pick between 2012 and 2021, 82% earned a second contract and 75% became starters. The median one started 81 career games.