Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is one of the league’s best pass-rushers. Since entering the NFL in 2019, he’s made two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro Second-team.
He’s recorded 266 tackles, 101 quarterback hits, 43 sacks, 17 tipped/batted passes and seven forced fumbles.
However, when he was coming out of Eastern Michigan, there was no guarantee Crosby was going to be a stud as a pro. He was seen as a mid-to-late-round prospect after earning First-team All-MAC honors in 2017 and 2018.
Before the 2019 draft, Crosby met with the Miami Dolphins, and while appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Crosby admitted he didn’t want to be a Dolphin after the visit.
“Pat (Graham) was in Miami when I was coming into the league,” Crosby said. “I was going on my top-30 visits, and I was in Miami. For the most part, my trip to Miami, I’m not going to lie, was rough. All of the coaches were super hard on me. I told my agent after, I’m like ‘I don’t want to come here. Tell Miami don’t draft me.’ But, my one meeting at Miami that I liked was Pat Graham…”
At the time, the Dolphins were coached by Brian Flores, who was entering his first season with the team. Coming from the New England Patriots, Flores came with a certain edginess that may have rubbed some the wrong way.
While some thrived under Flores, the mentality in the building was a deterrent for others.
Even Graham, who had worked with Flores from 2009-15 and had joined him to become his defensive coordinator in his first year with Miami, left after just one season, essentially making a lateral move to the New York Giants.
It’s interesting to think just how things would’ve gone if Crosby had been drafted by the Dolphins. Would he have had the same individual success? Would he have helped Miami make it further in their quest for a Lombardi Trophy?
We’ll never know, but it’s fun to imagine it.