Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby has been the heart and soul of the Silver and Black since being taken in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite changing regimes numerous times and even relocating cities, Crosby has always brought it for the Raiders.
He's been snubbed from major awards like the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and left out of honors like being a First-Team All-Pro, but he has always been massively productive for the Raiders and highly respected by his peers.
An ankle injury caused him to miss five contests last season, which marked the first time that he had missed any professional games. Crosby, despite the nagging injury, had a stretch of six straight games in 2024 where he played every snap, the longest streak ever by a defensive lineman.
Maxx Crosby drops 12 spots in NFL Top 100 rankings after injured season
Still, with missed games came lower production, and Crosby landed as the No. 22 player in the annual NFL Top 100 rankings, which is voted on by the players. Crosby dropped 12 spots, as he ranked No. 10 heading into last season.
Crosby also fell just a bit in the pass-rusher hierarchy. Last year, he ranked third among defensive ends and edge rushers, just slightly behind the Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt.
Based on how the rankings have played out thus far in 2025, he'll be behind the Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson as well. This makes him the fourth-best player at the position when he was third a year ago.
RELATED: Raiders unveil surprise wrinkle at practice that could shake up the secondary
In 12 games, while dealing with a high ankle sprain, Crobsy still recorded 7.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits. He also recorded 35 pressures despite being heavily keyed on in the absence of other starting defensive linemen due to injury.
Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons missed four games last season and had more production across the board than Crosby, other than tackles for loss. But, he dropped even further, plummeting 19 spots from No. 17 to No. 36, which is another feather in Crosby's cap.
The NFL attached a video when announcing that Crosby had landed at No. 22 in this year's rankings. In it, they captured Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talking to Crosby after they faced Las Vegas in 2024, and his words should hype up Raider Nation.
"So, there's Aaron Donald, and then there's you, okay? Keep that up regardless. The team will build around you, but you're the man."Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel to Maxx Crosby