Raiders' DL Coach Leonard and Crosby Have Similarities

Las Vegas Raiders defensive line coach Rob Leonard and defensive end Maxx Crosby come from similar football backgrounds.

The Las Vegas Raiders hired Rob Leonard as their defensive line coach in the 2023 offseason. That hire has paid dividends, as the Raiders saw excellent play from their defensive linemen in 2023.

From stars like defensive end Maxx Crosby maintaining elite play to young players like Malcolm Koonce breaking out, Las Vegas' defensive line played like one of the best in the NFL last season. 

Leonard, a former walk-on at North Carolina State, shares similarities with Crosby. They were both overlooked players in college who defied the odds and became successful. 

Leonard shared a story about his journey in football and how it led him to NC State when he joined Crosby on the latest episode of his podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby." He also talked about how his values are similar to Crosby’s.

“You want to talk about shared values?" Leonard said.  “Definitely as a player, I would say damn near as a person, just in terms of mindset, mentality, I wasn’t blessed enough to play in this league, but I’ll tell you right now; when I walked on because I had to go to a Division III school -- Washington & Jefferson -- whole long story, but then I transferred to NC State, had to sit out. When I got on the team at NC State, I was so angry, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna kill that dude,' everybody that was on scholarship.

“I had two goals: I was either going to get kicked off the team or put on scholarship. I remember I told my position coach that. I would fight every day. You could put me at corner. I’ve actually played in a game at corner, safety. I was a safety, and I’m like, ‘All right, this is my home.’ Then, my senior year, they said, ‘We’re moving you to starting linebacker.’ I said, ‘I’m transferring. I’m going to NC State. I’m going to App State. I’ve worked too hard for this opportunity.’ My family was like, ‘No, try it out.’ 

“With [Crosby], you’re talking about a much higher-level skill set, but just the journey -- it’s still the same adversity you had to go through. So, his to a much higher extent, but shared values.”

Click here to watch the full podcast episode with Crosby, Leonard, and more Raiders defensive linemen.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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