Maxx Crosby has become one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL and is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Crosby may have come into the league a bit undersized at the position, but his motor, technique and sheer will along the edge have made him a fearsome edge rusher.
Entering the 2025 season, Crosby will be counted on to lead the Raiders’ defense under new head coach Pete Carroll. The team’s got a talented defensive line, but everything starts and ends with Crosby.
ESPN recently released an anonymous poll of the top-10 edge rushers in the NFL, and Crosby came in at No. 4 via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN:
Crosby is making waves in the pass-rush pantheon, vaulting one spot in each of the past three years. Outdistancing Nick Bosa and stealing votes from Watt and Parsons is tough. Nearly half of Crosby’s votes landed in the top three.
Crosby’s relentless energy shows up every Sunday. His 324 pressures since 2019 are more than any other player — by 40 pressures.
“Relentless motor, skilled rusher and never wants to leave the game,” an NFL coordinator said. “Keeps getting better and better.”
An ankle injury didn’t stop Crosby from recording 100% play time in nine of his 12 games played last season. He averaged 60.4 snaps per game, most among edge defenders.
Crosby’s lack of support up front only enhances his profile. While Crosby has 59.5 sacks since 2019, no other Raiders player has registered more than 10 during that span.
“For him to play at that high a level with that volume is incredible,” a high-ranking AFC personnel staff member said.
It goes to show that Crosby is highly respected around the league for his on-field production and attitude, despite the lack of help he has received in recent years. From a talent perspective, Crosby is just as good as anybody in the NFL, but the win-loss record hasn’t quite reflected how dominant he is.
This upcoming season is another opportunity for Crosby to continue to climb up the rankings, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do with more resources at his disposal.
Maxx Crosby doubts Travis Hunter can succeed as two-way player in NFL
Maxx Crosby is a premier defensive player in the league who will be interested in seeing how Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter handles the rigors of the NFL. The Jaguars plan to use Hunter on both sides of the field, but Crosby doubts he can be successful doing both at the professional level.
