NFL rumors: Raiders questioned if Josh Allen 'had enough dog in him' originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com

The Raiders have lauded their decision to draft defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 overall pick, though it was certainly a surprise to many.

One of the main reasons it came as a shock was because of who was still on the board, especially edge rusher Josh Allen. The Raiders were dead last in the NFL with a laughable 13 total sacks last season. Allen, who recorded 17 sacks last year as a senior at Kentucky, seemed like a logical fit to help boost an ugly pass rush.

But The Athletic's Vic Tafur reported Friday that the Raiders had some concerns with Allen, who fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 7.

"Basically I heard that the Raiders weren't that impressed," Tafur wrote. "I reported pretty early on he wasn't in play for them at No. 4. I would never question a player's toughness but there were concerns that he got pushed around a little on some plays at Kentucky and he may not have had enough dog in him for Gruden and Guenther's liking."

Allen met with the Raiders on one of his final pre-draft visits. He watched film with general manager Mike Mayock and the two broke down his positives and negatives on the field.

"We watched some film together, good and bad clips of myself," Allen said to NBC Sports Bay Area in April. "He taught me and showed me what I can improve on. What I do good, too."

[RELATED: How Ferrell plans to earn respect in Raiders' locker room]

Ferrell was a star himself in college as well, but if Allen out-plays him as a rookie, there will be plenty of people questioning the Raiders' pick.