Raiders Pick Clelin Ferrell No. 4 in 2019 NFL Draft, and Twitter Is Stunned

The Oakland Raiders pulled off the first big surprise of Thursday's NFL draft by selecting former Clemson Tigers defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the fourth overall pick. 

Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller had Ferrell as the No. 23 overall prospect in this year's class. 

As noted by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders said they would have a surprise in store:

The general reaction across social media was to acknowledge that Ferrell is talented but that using the No. 4 overall pick on him was a reach:

Ferrell put himself in position to come off the board early in the draft thanks to an impressive collegiate career. The 6'4", 264-pound lineman piled up 165 total tackles, 50.5 tackles for losses, 27 sacks and five forced fumbles since 2016.

He is coming off a season that saw him earn first-team All-American honors and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award, as well as the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation's top defensive end.

Those accolades came after the Clemson captain recorded 55 total tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, a career-high 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Clelin Ferrell NFL Draft 2019: Scouting Report, Grade for Raiders Rookie

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Meanwhile, his Tigers became the first team in more than a century to go 15-0 on their way to a second national championship in three seasons.

Ferrell was also an All-American as a redshirt sophomore and a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award in 2017. Per Clemson's official website, he is the program's first two-time, first-team AP All-American since 1981-82 (Terry Kinard).

Ferrell's skill set figured to allow him to fit in anywhere he landed. The Raiders, though, liked him more than anyone could have known, especially since they had two other first-round picks at Nos. 24 and 27, where he might have fallen. 

Adding a lineman of Ferrell's caliber should only help a pass rush that ranked last in sacks a season ago with 13. That's fewer than half of the next-closest teams' totals, as the New York Giants and New England Patriots each had 30.

Of course, those struggles come after Jon Gruden and Co. traded 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack before the season. Mack (12.5) nearly outsacked the Raiders by himself.

Rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst led Oakland with four sacks, and only four Raiders defenders recorded multiple sacks. As a result, upgrading the pass rush was a top priority.