Why the Slide?: Tyrell Crosby, OT, Oregon
By Charlie Campbell, @draftcampbell
Four years ago, we started a series of articles on why certain prospects went undrafted. In that series, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. We got a lot of positive reader feedback about the series, so we decided to expand in the genre to investigate why some prospects slid in the draft. Three years ago, we started the Why the Slide? series, and this year it is back. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
The 2018 NFL Draft was the second straight year in which the offensive tackle position was lacking talent. As a result of the weakness, players like Crosby were expected to go higher because there were still plenty of teams in the NFL that needed help at position. Crosby had a solid career at Oregon and was not beaten very much in games. He the helped himself at the Senior Bowl, and that led to him being projected by many to go on the second day of the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he slid to the fifth round before going off the board.
In speaking to numerous sources, they said that Crosby fell for a combination of reasons. The biggest problem for Crosby was his terrible body, according to multiple team evaluators. They say that players with his body composition have not had much success at the NFL level, making that a big concern. On top of the body issues, Crosby came across with an odd personality described as soft in team interviews, and that gave some worries about how he would fit in locker rooms across the league. The combination of the personality and bad body led to Crosby sliding in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Detroit Lions ended Crosby’s fall in the fifth round, and that was a solid value pick for Detroit. Crosby will have to compete as a backup offensive lineman due to the Lions being set at tackle with Taylor Decker and Ricky Wagner. Crosby could move inside to guard and be a swing backup who could play guard or tackle if a need arises. Starting out as a backup could be good for Crosby in that it would allow him time to develop his body in a pro strength and conditioning program. That would really help Crosby to stick in the NFL with the Lions or another team. The best trait that Crosby has is good feet in pass protection, and if he develops his body, Crosby could be an excellent value pick for Detroit with the ability to grow into a starting role at guard or tackle.
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