2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Charles Cross

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Charles Cross, 6-5/310 Offensive Tackle Mississippi State

Charles Cross Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Excellent athlete

Fast edge protector

Quick feet

Ability to kick slide

Plays the typewriter with his feet

Rides defenders around the pocket

Smooth mover

Adjusts to the inside

Ideal size

Good length

Runs really well for a big lineman

Pulls well

Fires to the second level

Ability to stay on his feet

Ability to sustain blocks

Mobility for zone scheme

Size for man scheme

Finishes defenders off

Blocks through the whistle

Upside

Weaknesses:

Needs some developmental time

Needs to get stronger

Needs to get bigger

Summary: Cross broke into the starting lineup in 2020 and was a good left tackle for the Bulldogs over the past two seasons. Playing in the SEC West, Cross saw a lot of excellent competition, and he enters the NFL with two good seasons of reps going against elite talent. Helped by his size and quickness, Cross has a superb skill set with upside for the NFL.

Cross really excels in pass protection, showing a special skill set to be a blind-side protector in the NFL. He has quick feet and the length to shut off the corner from speed rushers. Thanks to his smooth athleticism to go along with his speed, Cross is adept at playing the typewriter with his feet to cut off the edge. He also will use his quickness and agility to ride defenders around the pocket and open up the left side as an option for quarterbacks to slide laterally. Cross is able to adjust to inside moves, and with his quick reaction skills, he moves to cut off inside lanes. There is no doubt that Cross is very good at mirroring speed rushers coming off the edge. He has more issues with physical defensive ends, but he does have the size in his base to anchor.



As a run blocker, Cross gets the better of defenders by routinely beating them to spots. He fires off the ball and uses his quickness to get to his landmarks to set up rushing lanes. With his speed and athleticism, Cross is excellent at bolting to the second level and is skilled in space to hit blocks on defenders at the second level. Cross has the size and mass to tie up defenders by turning and manipulating, but he is not an overpowering road grader as a run blocker. He blocks hard through the whistle, and while he looks to finish defenders with violence, he could stand to add more strength.

Team sources say Cross has starting left tackle potential for the NFL. They really like his feet and athleticism, but think he needs some developmental time to get stronger and bigger for taking on pro defensive linemen. Cross looks like a future first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.



Player Comparison: Ronnie Stanley. Cross reminds me of Stanley coming out of Notre Dame. Stanley was a great athlete with quickness who could stand to get stronger for the NFL. He has turned into a very good pro, and Cross could follow a similar path.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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