Chicago Bears Draft Scout: Maxx Crosby

OXFORD, OH - NOVEMBER 15: Maxx Crosby #92 of the Eastern Michigan Eagles sacks Gus Ragland #14 of the Miami Ohio Redhawks during the second half at Yager Stadium on November 15, 2017 in Oxford, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
OXFORD, OH - NOVEMBER 15: Maxx Crosby #92 of the Eastern Michigan Eagles sacks Gus Ragland #14 of the Miami Ohio Redhawks during the second half at Yager Stadium on November 15, 2017 in Oxford, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Is Maxx Crosby a fit for the Chicago Bears in the middle rounds?

Maxx Crosby is a productive small school player from Eastern Michigan. His name is starting to gain attention in draft communities after he put in a very impressive combine that showed that his traits can translate to the next level.

Maxx Crosby met with the Chicago Bears at the combine, could he be a fit to back up Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd?

Strengths

As mentioned, this a player who is an elite athlete.

The 3-cone is a drill that correlates very well to success on the edge in the NFL. To be that big and be able to bend and get around corners is key for his position.

That athleticism shows on the football field, as he consistently beats tackles off of the ball with his great burst. His combination of burst and length is highly effective in getting off of the ball and using his strides to get into the backfield.

Crosby is fluid in change of direction and has been comfortable in space. He also is a player who plays until the whistle and plays with an edge to him.

Weaknesses

While he is a long strider, he does not use his hands nearly enough, and keeps them too close to his body, losing all leverage. A lot of his upper body movement could be considered raw. This can cause him to widen his turn around the edge and render his pass rush useless.

Crosby is know to get pressure off of his burst, but struggles to put home sacks. He also has the propensity to miss tackles. Maxx Crosby also was suspended to start the 2018 season for one game. That is surely something that came up in their meeting.

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Skinny

The Bears interest in Maxx Crosby can be looked at in the same way this team was interested in Kylie Fitts last season. They are taking a shot in the late rounds on a lot of upside.

For Fitts, he was injured during a lot of his college career .However, you saw upside and production in spurtskylie-fitts. Crosby shows that same production, but his is almost solely tied to being more athletic than his MAC competition.

He plays with a style that you want to get on board with, but his raw athleticism tells you his rookie season could go similarly to a player such as Fitts. Would that be fine to bring into the room in the later rounds?

Sure, Fitts and Isaiah Irving are in-line to be the current backups, anybody can help. However, while the upside is there, he is raw, and will take patience.