Raider rookie Neil Farrell Jr. in line for a bigger role after recent trade

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Neil Farrell Jr. was never much of a runner, but a year ago during his COVID-19 “super senior” season at LSU, the defensive tackle started doing sprints every day after practice.

The drive to do so came from a desire to improve his play on the field and, in turn, impress NFL scouts to give him a better chance at a professional career. It all paid off when the Las Vegas Raiders selected the Mobile, Ala., native in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft.

But he hasn’t stopped putting in the extra work, which has helped him stand out to the Raiders’ coaching staff and climb the depth chart.

“I just feel like everybody’s always been doubting me,” Farrell said Wednesday. “But I feel like I’ve come a long way. I’ve still got a long ways to go but I’m improving each week.”

The 24-year-old is going to have plenty of opportunities to showcase that improvement over the rest of the season starting Sunday when the Raiders (2-4) travel to take on the New Orleans Saints (2-5) at Caesars Superdome. The trade of five-year Raider defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to the Dallas Cowboys this week may have come as a surprise to some, but not to those who have paid close attention to the recent defensive line rotation.

The swap — the Raiders received a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Hankins — is a clear signal that the team thinks Farrell is ready for a bigger role, even if the coaching staff isn’t saying so explicitly. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Farrell is the same type of gap-filling, run-stuffing interior defender as the 6-foot-3, 340-pound Hankins.

Farrell didn’t look ready for playing time out of training camp, but he’s since progressed and been on the active roster in each of the last two games. He should now be active in every game going forward, barring injury, as a primary reserve behind starters Bilal Nichols and Andrew Billings.

“He’s had an emergence on the practice field,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said of Farrell. “When we talk about the idea of practice execution becoming game reality, that’s what we are looking for. He’s worked really hard at practice, and it’s been encouraging.”

Farrell’s had the benefit of learning alongside another rookie at his position, Matthew Butler, a fifth-round pick out of Tennessee. Butler has yet to suit up for a game, but the Hankins trade could potentially pave the way to his debut soon.

For now, however, it appears Farrell is in line for an increased workload.

“Any young player, the whole goal is to just continue to work with them, see the improvement and the growth and hopefully feel like they're ready to go in there and perform a job,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said. “He’s earned the opportunity.”

Farrell played 21 snaps against the Chiefs in Week 5 with Hankins a surprise healthy scratch and registered his first NFL tackle early in the third quarter when he took down Clyde Edwards-Helaire after a short gain. He was cut down to 10 snaps last week against the Texans but that was while splitting time with Hankins.

“I’ve just been working hard each and every day of practice,” Farrell said. “Coaches push me to work hard, and I pushed myself and each week, I’ve been getting better and better.”

Farrell learned how to push himself to a new level last year when he wasn’t getting the draft attention he felt he deserved. It worked, as Farrell earned second-team All SEC honors and shot up draft boards.

He felt like few believed in him back then, but that’s clearly no longer the case with the faith the Raiders have indirectly put into him by trading Hankins. Farrell is trying to keep the same mindset, however, and hoping he can find another moment of validation — perhaps with a breakout in-game performance — like when his name was called in the draft.

“(Getting drafted) just felt like all my hard work paid off,” he said. “I wanted to start that process over and prove myself in the league so that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or