Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is coming off a year that earned him several accolades. Now, as the 2022 NFL season approaches, Pro Football Focus gives Crosby more praise.
The awards are starting to pile up for the Raiders’ star
Crosby posted solid numbers across the board last year, totaling eight sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and seven pass deflections. Besides earning his first Pro Bowl nod (where he put on an amazing display, by the way), Crosby was also a member of the Associated Press Second Team. He was also a member of the Pro Football Writer’s First Team All-Conference.
As far as PFF goes, they recently featured Crosby on the top 25 list for players under the age of 25. On that list, Crosby joins fellow AFC West stars such as Justin Herbert, Rashawn Slater, Creed Humphrey, and Patrick Surtain II.
“The Raiders’ third-year pass-rusher took a leap into elite status this past season. In 2021, his 91.7 pass-rush grade ranked second only to Myles Garrett. Crosby also leads the league in total pressures (200) over the past three seasons, playoffs included, for players under the age of 25. Crosby recorded 67.3 and 58.2 pass-rush grades in his previous two seasons, so the jump to an elite mark in 2021 was quite the statement. Now, he’ll have Chandler Jones lining up with him along the Raiders’ defensive line. With that, expect more one-on-one opportunities for Crosby to continue his top pass-rush play.”
Is Maxx Crosby headed for a big year?
After accumulating 10 sacks in his rookie year, Crosby came back down to Earth in 2020, when he only recorded seven sacks. However, his presence on the field was much more important to the Raiders than just his sack totals. He recorded 42 pressures per Pro Football Reference, becoming a consistent and reliable pass-rushing threat. As PFF points out, last season, Raider Nation saw Crosby’s game reach another level. In fact, his QB knockdowns were 19 last year after only amassing 10 in his first two campaigns. Crosby will likely reach another plateau in 2022 thanks to a revamped Raiders defensive line that includes newcomer Chandler Jones and Clelin Ferrell seemingly moving to the outside.
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*Top Photo: Darren Yamashita USA Today Sports