Getty Nick Bosa runs out of the tunnel on January 8, 2023.
Long before Nick Bosa and Clelin Ferrell became top five draft picks and new San Francisco 49ers teammates, there was the thought of one team trading up to nab Bosa instead of the Clemson star — per one former general manager’s admission.
Speaking with Chris Long on the “Green Light Podcast” on April 27, former Las Vegas Raiders GM Mike Mayock revealed the Silver and Black were interested in the 49ers’ No. 2 overall pick.
“The coaching staff really wanted a defensive lineman and we were picking No. 4 that year in 2019,” Mayock said to the former NFL defensive lineman and Super Bowl winner Long. “I knew the first three picks were going to be Kyler Murray [No.] 1, [Nick] Bosa [No.] 2 to San Francisco, and Quinnen Williams [No.] 3 to the Jets. We tried to move up to [No.] 2 and didn’t get him.”
There’s more: Mayock and the Raiders also wanted who came after Bosa.
“We tried to move up to [No.] 3 to get Quinnen Williams, but the Jets said no,” Mayock said.
Now it explains the reasoning why the Raiders took Ferrell surprisingly at that slot. That No. 4 selection the Raiders held was reserved for a defensive lineman but as it turns out, Bosa was the top guy on Mayock and the Raiders’ draft board. The No. 2 was the star defensive tackle from Alabama. Ferrell became the No. 3 for Vegas.
Mike Mayock Hoped New 49ers Edge Rusher Would Be Like Chris Long
As much as Mayock and the Raiders were high on Bosa as many teams were, Mayock was hoping Ferrell would be the impact guy the Raiders envisioned when surprisingly taking him at fourth overall. Mayock then told Long what else he had hoped for from ‘Cle.’
“Here was my take on Cle, and obviously Chris, I was wrong: I was hoping Cle Ferrell could become Chris Long,” Mayock told the Super Bowl winning edge with the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. “After his first or second year, I even put together a Chris Long clip. I went back in the tape and I found you your first two years. And I brought Cle into my office and I was like Cle, this was my first comp [compensatory] for you. I want you to see a couple of things here: I want you to see No. 1, that, this is a guy who didn’t come into the league and have 14 sacks year one.”
Mayock continued with: “What I was trying to show ‘Cle because I think he was getting frustrated with the weight of being the No. 4 overall pick, I wanted him to see that even though he was the fourth overall pick, here’s the second overall pick who didn’t jump out of the gate killing it, as far as production numbers.”
“I was hoping that Clelin Ferrell would become Chris Long”
Bosa wasn’t even the league leader or team leader in sacks as Arik Armstead led in the latter category in ’19. But now, Bosa has proven he was worth staying put at No. 2 and the 49ers resisted the urge to trade down.
Could Clellin Ferrell Still be a ‘Long?’
With the change of scenery and going into a defensive lineman-friendly climate, Ferrell has the chance to salvage his career.
Ferrell understands the criticism, as he addressed that with reporters back in his introductory press conference on March 17. But he also believes that he’s grown and matured from his Raiders experience and ready to join the 49ers.
He’s in a situation where he doesn’t need to pressure himself as the top sack guy, as that title belongs to Bosa. Perhaps he can still become a “Long” type — one who didn’t make Pro Bowls but still produced two double-digit sack seasons and became a valuable contributor and leader in the locker room. Ferrell will also come in without feeling the pressure of being a top-five pick, but instead provide pressure next to the man Mayock and the Raiders nearly traded up for.