Crosby Shows Even a Lower Pick Can Be a Raiders' Star

Maxx Crosby proves lower picks can have a higher yield for the Las Vegas Raiders

Defensive end Maxx Crosby ranks right up there with the greatest later-round draft choices the Las Vegas-Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders have made in their 63-year history.

Crosby is right there alongside wide receiver Cliff Branch, cornerback Lester Hayes, linebacker Rod Martin, center Dave Dalby, cornerback Slip Thomas, running back Marv Hubbard, defensive back George Atkinson, defensive end Greg Townsend and others.

All of them were chosen after the first 100 picks of the NFL Draft and became stars for the Raiders.

The so-called experts claimed Crosby “a below average talent who might materialize into an average backup or special teamer. … He’s a developmental, long-limbed defensive end who needs a year or two of bulking up before he’s ready to see the field.”

Said Crosby: “I enjoyed proving them all wrong.”

The Raiders selected the 6-5 265-pound Crosby in the fourth round (No. 106 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Eastern Michigan, and not too many people paid any attention to his selection.

“I’m super excited,” Crosby said in a conference call with Raiders' reporters aft being selected by the Silver and Black. “I’m going to work my butt off every single day and get ready to help get after the quarterback immediately. … My motor can run all day. I feel like that high-tempo pace is going to help me once I get to the league.”

Crosby, a two-time Mid-American Conference selection at Eastern Michigan, stepped right into the starting lineup as a rookie with the Raiders, making 47 tackles, including 16 for losses and 10 sacks.

However, Crosby had problems off the field. He was an alcoholic.

“It got to a point after my rookie year that my life became unmanageable," said Crosby, who has since turned his life around. “Alcohol, partying, and all that shit became too much of a distraction in my life. It became just overwhelming.

“I always had issues with drinking and partying throughout high school and college. I’ve been able to slip by and get by, but it became too much for me. Alcoholism runs in my family and I’m an alcoholic. So, for me, I knew it was something that was always a crutch.”

The 25-year-old Crosby has overcome his problems, although he knows it can go back the other way if he doesn’t stay on top of things.

Crosby has not had a drink recently and plans to keep it that way.

“I looked in the mirror (the last time he was drunk) and, like, I didn’t even fucking recognize myself,” Crosby recalled. “So, that was where I got to the point, like, ‘What am I doing? Like, this shit is not gonna last.’ And, yeah, it just kind of clicked for me at that moment.

"Alcohol, partying, and all that sh*t became too much of a distraction. It became just overwhelming. I’ve always had issues with drinking and partying throughout high school and college. I've been able to slip by and get by, but it became too much for me.”

Instead, Crosby has become a star for the Raiders in the NFL.

After that standout rookie season, when he was still an alcoholic, the sober Crosby totaled 39 tackles and seven sacks in his second season and 56 and eight in 2021 before having a great season with 89 tackles 12.5 sacks last season.

Crosby was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2021 and has been chosen for the Pro Bowl yearly.

"Last season, Crosby led the NFL in pressures going against an extremely favorable slate of opposing tackles," Pro Football Focus wrote. "This year, he backed up the performance despite a much tougher run, finishing the year with 81 total pressures and an 82.5 PFF run-defense grade."

That is not bad for an alcoholic drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round.

Here is a complete list of every 2023 Raiders draft pick and links to more information about them:

Round 1 No. 7 overall pick: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech

Round 2 No. 35 overall pick: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame

Round 3 No. 70 overall: Byron Young, DT, Alabama

Round 3 No. 100 overall: Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati

Round 4 No. 104 overall: Jakorian Bennett, CB, Maryland

Round 4 No. 135 overall: Aidan O'Connell, QB, Purdue

Round 5 No. 170 overall: Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia

Round 6 No. 203 overall: Amari Burney, LB, Florida

Round 7 No. 231 overall: Nesta Jade Silvera, DT, Arizona State

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