Lions' rookie OL Tyrell Crosby moves on from draft disappointment

Geoff Robinson | The Detroit News

Allen Park — Tyrell Crosby was pegged by many to be a second- or third-round selection in the NFL Draft. So when the Lions were sitting there in the fifth round and the former Oregon left tackle was still available, the team was more than happy to scoop him up and add to their ever-improving pool of offensive line depth.

As more and more teams passed on Crosby in the draft, he let his frustration be known on Twitter when he tweeted out his qualifications: "4 year starter, voted by pac12 d-line best OL in the pac, no sacks last year, no off field issues... let them sleep."

4 year starter, voted by pac12 d-line best OL in the pac, no sacks last year, no off field issues... let them sleep. — Tyrell Crosby (@Tyrellcrosby) April 28, 2018

But now that Crosby is in Detroit, the draft is behind him and he's ready to get to work.

"Things happen in the draft and I'm just thankful I got drafted," he said. "I'm thankful to be here and I just try to take it one day at a time."

Barring injuries, Crosby isn't likely to see the field as a starter next fall, but that doesn't mean he isn't in a great position to learn from an experienced group of offensive linemen.

"I'm lucky," he said. "I'm surrounded by great people. They just really want to see everyone else do well, and it's an awesome room to be a part of."

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Crosby knows adjusting to the NFL isn't going to be easy, but he says it helps a little to know that the rest of the team is also dealing with a learning curve because of the new coaching staff.

"Each year you play football there's going to be a learning curve," he said. "Every year at Oregon there was something new I'd have to learn. Being at this level you just have to take it and run with it. I've got to get in the playbook non-stop and just try to improve on everything."

Geoff Robinson is a freelance writer.