Raiders' Maxx Crosby: Redshirt to DPOY Finalist

Las Vegas Raiders three-time Pro-Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby's football journey has been anything but easy.

When looking at his 2023 recognition that include a third straight Pro Bowl honor, an Associated Press second-team All-Pro honor, and a Defensive Player of the Year Award nomination, it would be reasonable to assume Crosby has been a star his entire career.

Early on, though, that was not the case.

"Honestly, the confidence started in my redshirt year in college," Crosby said when he joined "Pro Football Talk" on Super Bowl LVIII Media Row on Wednesday. "I had never played D-end until my senior year of high school, so that's why I didn't have a whole bunch of offers; I had no film going into my last year. And I went to a camp at Eastern Michigan, and they were like the worst team in D-I at the time, and I just wanted a D-I offer, that's all that mattered. So, they offered me before I even played the position.

"And I went there, I was like: 'I'm trying to play right away.' I was like 210, 212 pounds when I got to Eastern. I was a little boy then. But at the same time, like, you can't measure heart.

"I went into that redshirt year and just went on scout team and just tried to wreck the practice every single day. And I was traveling -- the Scout Team Player of the Week travels every week -- I won like literally every week. So, that was like -- that's where the confidence started.

"I'm going against Andrew Wylie --who ironically, ends up being the Chiefs' starting right tackle -- so we're playing against each other in the league, and I've been going against this guy when I first started playing the position."

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

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

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