Crosby, Townsend Were Great Picks at No. 4

In studying the rich history of the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL Draft, we revisit some of the great picks of all time.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders has gone from an unheralded fourth-round pick in the 2018 National Football League Draft out of Eastern Michigan to the best player the Silver and Black have on that side of the football.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Crosby has played in every Raiders game during his five seasons with the team, being selected to the Pro Bowl three times and to the All-Pro second team in 2021 and 2023. This last season, he was a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

“The Raiders were on the right track with the selection of an edge rusher at No. 4 in the (2018) draft, but of the many incredible players at the position this class produced, it was a bit of surprise that they selected Maxx Crosby,” one draft analysis read. “That might have been a reach.”

However, the Raiders soon found out otherwise, as General Manager Mike Mayock wrote on the Raiders’ website: “Dude, I’ve been watching your tape all fall. I’ve been grabbing (Coach Jon) Gruden and yelling at him about Mad Maxx Crosby.”

Wrote one publication that season: “Crosby might have been the steal of the draft.”

Maxx Crosby is among the greatest NFL Draft picks in the Las Vegas Raiders' history / © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Looking back, the original opinion about the drafting of Crosby certainly has changed, and he eventually should rank with defensive end Greg Townsend, the Raiders’ all-time sack leader, who interestingly was selected in the fourth round (No. 110 overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft out of Texas Christian.

Crosby gives at least 110 percent every day in meetings, practices, and games, and because of that and his productivity, he has become a team leader. Many people, especially the media, seek him out for his opinion, which is highly valued.

In his 83 games with the Raiders, Crosby has 321 total tackles, including 205 solos, 88 tackles for losses, 124 quarterback hits, and 52 sacks -- including a career-high 14.5 last season after making 12.5 sacks in 2022.

Crosby ranks fifth on the Raiders’ all-time sack list after five seasons. Still, if he remains with the Silver and Black, he could ultimately challenge Townsend’s franchise record of 107.5 sacks, which he accumulated over 12 seasons while he earned four All-Pro selections and played in the Super Bowl XVIII championship.

Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long ranks a distant second to Townsend, another underrated Raider, with 84 sacks in 179 games.

It took Townsend a little while to realize he could be a great Raider.

“I think it was around my third game,” Townsend recalled. “It was a Monday Night Football game, so I knew it was going to be great. We’re running a blitz against Miami and the quarterback fumbled. I picked the ball up and all of a sudden, the whole world goes into slow motion.

“(Linebacker) Ted Hendricks is yelling at me to follow him, but everything seems to be moving so slow. I’m running and running with the ball and I’m trying to get to the goal line. Guys are everywhere. I ended up scoring and it was great. Everybody’s congratulating the coaches and all. That’s when I knew I could play because everybody had accepted me.”

Townsend finished with double-digit sacks in seven seasons, with a career-high 13 in 1991, after having made 12.5 the year before.

“In a list of all-time draft steals in Raiders history, Greg Townsend would have to be at or near the top of the list,” Khaled Abullah wrote on Fansided.

The Raiders have the 13th overall selection in the NFL Draft later in April, but General Manager Tom Telesco and Coach Adrian Pierce certainly could use another fourth-round selection like Crosby or Townsend in the fourth round to make their draft a success.

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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