Nick Cross: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Files
For some parents, it can be a tough decision whether or not to let their kids play football.
Football is a dangerous sport. It is no secret that most football players will suffer some sort of injury throughout their playing days. While the game has become safer over the years, the risk is always there.
That decision can be an important one. There are young players all around the country who have the talent to make it to the next level but do not get the opportunity because they are not allowed to play the game.
For an Indianapolis Colts rookie, it took some convincing for his parents to let him play the game. But once he was allowed to play, his life was never the same.
This is “Rookie Files,” a series on Horseshoe Huddle that gives you the backstory of every rookie for the Colts. Going player by player, we look at their journeys to the NFL and what makes each one unique while also detailing how they help the Colts. Next is Nick Cross, who never looked back once he had the opportunity to play the game he loved.
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‘Yeah, You Can Finally Play’
Cross was born on September 10, 2001, in Bowie, Maryland, to Michael and Anna Cross. Both of Cross’s parents are immigrants to the United States and hold high-profile jobs. Michael is a computer software engineer who emigrated from Jamaica, while Anna is a pharmacist who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago.
Cross attended Ascension Lutheran School and later St. Jerome Academy growing up. He was interested in sports from a very young age, playing T-Ball, basketball, and soccer. Cross was even one of the best basketball players on his team growing up.
When it came to the game of football, Cross was limited in what he could do. He played with his friends during recess and in PE class, but never in an organized manner. Even though he was usually bigger and more developed athletically than his classmates, being on a football team was never an option.
Michael and Anna had some reservations about the game of football. It was much more dangerous than the other sports that Cross had been participating in, and they were unsure if they wanted their son in that situation.
But Cross did not stop pushing his parents about playing. He had already developed a passion for the game just by playing with his friends at recess. Cross would even leave a local football team’s page up on his dad’s computer so his father would see it the next time he logged on.
His persistence finally paid off, and just before he started high school, Cross received the green light.
“We’d talk about it every year,” Cross recalled via the Hyattsville Life & Times. “‘Maybe this year,’ (his dad would say.) Sometimes it would be disappointing. And then finally (as I was about to) go to high school, he was like, ‘Yeah, you can finally play.’ So, I was really excited.”
Cross attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. This would be where he would step onto the practice field for the first time, and where his football journey would finally begin.
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An All-American
Cross started his football career as a linebacker and defensive end at DeMatha on the freshman team. As he was getting his feet wet and learning the game, coaches described his game as “rigid.” Cross was trying to play the game and process everything at the same time. But it didn’t take long for Cross to catch on.
By his sophomore season at DeMatha, Cross had become a backup defensive back and special teams player on varsity for head coach Elijah Brooks, who is now the running backs coach for the University of Maryland. He received a big opportunity when he entered the starting lineup for DeMatha for the WCAC championship game.
Cross came up with a huge play, jumping on a kickoff at the 1-yard line that led to a touchdown two plays later. From there, Cross had arrived.
He entered the starting lineup for good at the start of his junior season. Cross began to make serious noise, earning First-Team All-WCAC honors. Cross was feared for his blanket coverage and hard-hitting ability as a defensive back.
The excellent play continued into his senior season. Cross ended his senior year with 94 tackles and four interceptions. He earned First-Team All WCAC, was a First-Team Washington Post All-Metro selection, and was named a US Army All-American. In just four short years, Cross had gone from a kid who had never played organized football to an All-American.
Cross’s play on the field, combined with a 3.6 GPA and talent for playing the saxophone, had colleges from all over the country pleading with him to attend their school. Cross was a four-star recruit and the consensus top-ranked player in Maryland. Alabama, Auburn, Stanford, and Florida State were a few of the 35 schools that had offered Cross full-ride scholarships.
Cross decided to commit to Florida State. It had been his dream school since he was a little kid, and he felt comfortable with the coaches. However, Cross did not sign a letter of intent to play with the Seminoles. That left the door open for other schools to make a push.
In December of 2018, after Cross had finished his senior season, Brooks was hired as the running backs coach at Maryland. Cross was elated for his coach and began to think about how cool it would be to play college ball with his high school coach and have the opportunity to stay close to home.
So, in a shocking move after National Signing Day had already passed, Cross switched his commitment and signed his letter of intent to join Brooks at Maryland. The Terrapins’ coaching staff was ecstatic to get a player of that caliber, and Cross was ready to prove he could star at the collegiate level.
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Using Benching as Motivation
Cross made his way to the Maryland campus and set his sights on having a role on defense right away. Cross had an immediate impact as a freshman, playing in all 12 games with five starts and racking up 45 tackles, two interceptions, and five pass breakups. He led the team in interceptions and pass breakups, showing that he had already developed a nose for the ball.
Cross began his sophomore season in the starting lineup and had a career-high nine tackles in the season-opening loss against Northwestern. However, Cross was taken out of the starting lineup by Terrapins’ head coach Mike Locksley for the Week 2 matchup against Minnesota.
“The first game, I didn’t think he played fast,” Locksley said via The Baltimore Sun. “We saw him not necessarily pull the trigger on some things, be a little hesitant, and for that, we benched him. … He didn’t start Game 2, and that was by coach’s decision because we didn’t think he played well and we want to create competition with every opportunity that we can.”
The benching was the first time Cross was sidelined for non-injury reasons in as long as he could remember. It was a wake-up call to him, a message that he could not take plays or games off.
“I definitely think there were some things I could have done better from assignment-sound football and technique-sound football,” Cross said at the time. “But at the end of the day, you live and you learn, and that was my mantra for that week.”
He continued, “It just drove me to continue to get better and work on some things that I needed to work on. After Minnesota, I just continued to work on every aspect of my game so that I could go out there and contribute in the way that I know that I can.”
Cross did not want to feel that way again. He felt like he had let his team down and had let himself down. He knew the type of player he was capable of being and wanted to display that every game.
Cross used the benching as fuel to motivate him, putting extra dedication into his game. In the Terrapins’ next game against Penn State, Cross registered eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception. He never looked back from there.
The sophomore safety went on to earn All-Big Ten Honorable Mention that year in the Terrapins’ COVID-shortened season. As a junior, Cross had his best season with 66 tackles (including a career-high 13 against Minnesota,) three sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, and four pass breakups. He led the team in interceptions and forced fumbles, once again, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for the second year in a row.
At only 20 years old, Cross was a young junior prospect that could have gone on to have another stellar year at Maryland. But he felt like he was ready to make the jump, and the athletic safety decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
One team that had kept an eye on Cross throughout his college career was the Colts. The Colts love athletic defenders with a nose for the ball, something Cross has been known for. The Colts took an interest in Cross at the NFL Combine and came away very impressed with the young man.
“We talked a good amount," Cross admitted. "I talked to the defensive backs coach and I talked to (Mike Derice), my area scout. I talked to Chris Ballard, the (general manager) and at the NFL Combine I had a formal interview with them. I was able to meet with the entire staff, and break down some film. I had a good amount of conversation with them during the year.”
On Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Colts had already made their three picks for the night. But as the third round was ending, Cross still sat on the board.
Ballard looked to his staff and asked where would they place Cross as a prospect next year if he was coming out in the draft. When his staff replied Cross would be a borderline first-round pick, it was enough to pull the trigger. The Colts traded back into the third round and selected Cross with the No.96 pick.
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How Cross Helps the Colts
With the retirement of Khari Willis earlier this offseason, Cross will have an immediate impact on the Colts.
At 6-0 and 212 pounds, Cross can be lined up all over the field in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense. Whether as a deep safety, in the box, or in the slot, Cross can do it all. His ball-hawking nature fits the Colts’ turnover-oriented defense perfectly, and you can expect him to make plays on the ball.
“I bring high energy,” Cross explained. “I fly around and make plays. I’m physical on the back end and I’m able to come downhill and make solid tackles. I’m someone who can play the middle of the field and intercept the ball. Make sure no one makes any big plays down the field. I want to be someone who can take the ball away and cause havoc for the offense.”
Cross ran with the starting defense for the majority of training camp and looks in line to be the starter at strong safety. Competing with fellow safety Rodney McLeod, whose football camp Cross attended when he was younger, has helped him settle into the NFL game. Cross has already made his presence known on the field in both practice and preseason games.
The Colts feel like Cross has sky-high potential. Combining Cross with starting free safety Julian Blackmon and the Colts think they could potentially have one of the best safety tandems in the entire league.
Cross has never let an obstacle get in his way of reaching the NFL. It does not matter if it is starting the game of football late or being benched, Cross has overcome it all and come out better on the other side. So, when obstacles arise throughout his NFL career, you can bet Cross will attack them like he attacks ball carriers: Tackling them head-on.
More Rookie Files
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