OT Charles Cross Listed as No. 1 Pick in 2022 NFL Mock Draft
Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross has been projected to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for months, but some view him as the top pick in the entire draft.
Seth Galina of Pro Football Focus released his mock draft this morning, and he has Cross going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is big news for both Cross and the Bulldogs program as a whole: no Mississippi State player has ever been the No. 1 pick in any NFL Draft. The highest draft pick in program history came in 1982 when linebacker Johnie Cooks was selected second overall by the Baltimore Colts.
There are two other offensive tackles listed in Galina's Top 10 who serve as Cross's competition-- Evan Neal from Alabama and Ikem Ekwonu from NC State. These three athletes have had outstanding seasons and have proven why they deserve to be among this year's highest draft picks.
Cross is an incredible athlete who has picked up countless accolades throughout his two years in maroon and white. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound redshirt sophomore was the top offensive lineman for Mississippi State and helped protect quarterback Will Rogers in the Air Raid offense. He appeared in 24 games over his two seasons as a Bulldog. During his freshman season, he was named to the Freshman All-SEC team and sat fourth overall nationally on pass blocking snaps according to PFF.
This season, Cross continued to improve. On 682 total pass blocks, he gave up only five quarterback pressures and one sack-- an incredible feat in Mike Leach's pass-heavy offense. Cross picked up his fair share of awards and accolades throughout the season. He was named to three separate First-Team All-SEC teams and also picked up the prestigious Kent Hull Trophy for being the best offensive lineman in the state of Mississippi. Most notably, he was named to three different All-American teams by ESPN, Pro Football Focus, and The Sporting News.
Cross will have plenty to prove to scouts in the coming weeks, but he is ready for the challenge of being a rookie in the NFL. At this point, it's quite possible that he will hear his name called first overall when the 2022 NFL Draft begins on April 28.
