Since being drafted in the fourth round in 2019, Maxx Crosby has been slowly building his resume as one of the biggest wrecking balls in the league. Crosby beats tackles to the outside with lightning speed and tremendous force when he goes inside.
He’s a stout run defender, a player who requires double-teams, and quite frankly, a quarterback’s worst nightmare. Ahead of the Rams-Raiders game on Sunday, Matthew Stafford spoke about what a disrupter Crosby can be.
“He’s an incredible player, to be honest with you,” Stafford said flatly. “He jumps off the tape. He’s in there on every single play, and his effort is relentless. He obviously has great skill, technique, and physical attributes as well, but he has the motor to go with it that’s as good or better than everybody that I’ve put on when I watch the tape. Really great competitor. We practiced against him a couple of times, and that same energy and effort was there. Overall, he’s an enjoyable guy to compete against. He’s intense out there, he loves playing the game, he loves competing and he’s a really good player.”
Crosby currently had 5.5 sacks on the season, adding to his career 57.5 sack total. Crosby hasn’t practiced yet this week due to an ankle injury and there are some who believe the Raiders could trade Mad Maxx the way they did with Davante Adams.
Stafford has been sacked 16 times this season and if Crosby plays on Sunday, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that number climbs higher.