OAKLAND, Calif. – Clelin Ferrell was plying his trade for a national championship team at Clemson a year ago. Maxx Crosby was playing at Eastern Michigan.
They were drafted, at No. 4 overall and in the fourth round, respectively, to help improve the Oakland Raiders' woeful pass rush of 2018, a season in which the team had a league-low 13 sacks. Or 17 fewer than the team with the next lowest.
Thursday night, Ferrell and Crosby were the Raiders' starting defensive ends for the second time in five days and made a habit of holding rookie D-linemen meetings in the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive backfield.