We knew a long time ago that Maxx Crosby had the potential to be special.

“People ask me to describe Maxx and Maxx is an absolute junkyard pit bull dog,” Crosby’s trainer said of Crosby last year.

“He is the kind of kid that’s going to go hard, he’s still developing… but the one thing you like about him… he’s a great effort guy… Maxx is long, he’s tall, he’s quick off the ball, has a great long arm. Maxx Crosby might be the steal of this draft, I’m telling you, man.”

What we didn’t know about Crosby at the time is whether he would have enough size to make an impact at the NFL level right away.

It looked like Crosby had added size by the end of his rookie year and it turns out, he actually added a quite a bit. He weighed 255 pounds at the NFL combine a year ago and that is his weight listed on the Raiders’ website. But according to a source familiar with Crosby, he actually got up to 278 pounds by the end of the season as he continues to fill out from a significant growth spurt he had in college.

For comparison’s sake, Raiders first-round pick Clelin Ferrell weighed in at 264 pounds at the combine. Had Crosby been 20 pounds heavier at the time, he would have been in the conversation to be drafted in the first round. Either way, it’s safe to say that he should have been.

He also should have been voted Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Raider bias runs deep in the NFL. Crosby and running back Josh Jacobs both learned that the hard way in their first NFL seasons.

twitter: @raidersbeat



