Las Vegas Raiders star defender named potential breakout player in 2021

The Las Vegas Raiders did not have a lot to brag about on the defensive side of the ball this past season, as they finished the year in the bottom-3 in terms of points allowed per game. They struggled to get stops on third down, saw their secondary and linebackers struggle, and failed to get a consistent pass rush.

That led to teams being able to sit back in the pocket and deliver the ball against a young and inexperienced defensive backfield. While most of the roster on that side of the ball struggled, one player proved to not only be an iron man for the Silver and Black, but also was able to be productive despite an incredible amount of double-teams, and holds.

For his efforts, this player is starting to gain some national attention, and rightfully so, as he has the talent, and drive to be a special player in Raiders history.

Raiders star defensive end named breakout candidate

In a recent piece for Bleacher Report, Kristopher Knox laid out one player for each NFL team that has breakout potential in 2021. For the Raiders, the choice was an easy one, as Knox tapped Madd Maxx Crosby for stardom next season, this after he followed up a successful rookie season with one of the more consistent years of any Raiders defender.

Crosby racked up ten sacks as a rookie in 2019, coming out of nowhere as a fourth-round draft pick, and overshadowing Clelin Ferrell, who the Raiders took with the No. 4 overall pick that same year. In 2020, Crosby rightfully got a lot more attention, and he responded by racking up seven sacks, which was a third of what the team was able to collect in total.

Crosby and Ferrell are going to be a big part of this defensive rebuild in Las Vegas, and new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is going to expect a lot out of a guy with 17 sacks already to his credit. Las Vegas has to do a better job at getting after the quarterback next season, and if they do improve, Crosby is going to be in the middle of all the success.