Maxx Crosby has been an absolute beast for the Raiders. Calling him a steal in the 4th round of the draft is an understatement. He showed toughness by playing with a broken hand to start the season. Also, he shows a high motor, and most importantly, displays his love and passion for the game. That’s why he is a strong candidate for defensive rookie of the year.
Stiff Competition
Crosby is in good company with players such as Nick Bosa and Josh Allen for that defensive rookie of the year consideration. These men set the standard. With the exception of Bosa and Allen, I’m sure most general managers would take Crosby in the first round over all the other defensive players if they could do it again. Let’s take a look.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Maxx Crosby
16 games, 10 started, and in that time, he racked up 46 combined tackles (35 solo, 11 assisted), 10 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, and even four passes defensed. All this, in spite of starting the season off with a broken hand, questionable defensive support, and as a fourth round pick.
Nick Bosa
16 games, 14 started, and during the 2019 season, he racked up 47 combined tackles (32 solo, 15 assisted), nine sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 25 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, two passes defensed with one interception. Great stats, but he was also a piece to a better defensive line and was the second overall pick in the draft this past year. He was as good as advertised.
Josh Allen
16 games, four started, and in that time, he racked up 44 combined tackles (31 solo, 11 assisted), 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for losses, 22 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles. He has been a bright spot for a bad Jaguars defense. He played according to his draft slot.
Related: Should the Raiders have drafted QB Drew Lock?
Honorable Mentions and Final Words
There should be honorable mentions to other players too: Montez Sweat, Clelin Ferrell, Ed Oliver, Brian Burns, Juan Thornhill, as well as others that shined for their teams, but the first three are the front runners in my book and should be everyone’s too.
Crosby, Bosa, Allen are the strong favorites to win DROY. It will most likely go to Bosa since he is the only one still playing the game in postseason but when you look at all the factors, help across the line, team defense overall, and what these men did with what they had to work with, Crosby would be my pick for defensive rookie of the year. The NFL expected Bosa and Allen to shine, and they got that recognition, but Crosby earned his ticket into that conversation too, and he had a much taller hill to climb.
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