Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Climbs the Ladder in ESPN’s Positional Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Las Vegas Raiders hit the jackpot during the 2019 NFL Draft when they selected Eastern Michigan edge rusher Maxx Crosby. They waited until the No. 106 overall pick in the fourth round to do so, but he has been a game changer for the Silver and Black.
Through six NFL seasons, he has compiled 59.5 sacks and 105 tackles for loss, as well as nine forced fumbles. He has led the league in tackles for loss on two occasions and been named to four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro Second-Teams.
There is no definitive answer on where Crosby ranks compared to the NFL’s other elite edge rushers, but the consensus is that he belongs somewhere in the top five.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who polled NFL executives, coaches and scouts, Crosby ranks at No. 4 in the league among all edge rushers. This is up from his ranking of No. 5 before last season.
“Crosby is making waves in the pass-rush pantheon, vaulting one spot in each of the past three years,” Fowler wrote. “Outdistancing Nick Bosa and stealing votes from Watt and Parsons is tough. Nearly half of Crosby’s votes landed in the top three.”
There has been an ongoing debate about who is better between Bosa and Crosby, as many felt that the Raiders star was robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year award that Bosa won in 2023.
However, it appears that several NFL personnel members agree that he has surpassed Bosa, even though Crosby missed five games last season and had only 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
“Relentless motor, skilled rusher and never wants to leave the game,” an NFL coordinator said. “Keeps getting better and better.”
An AFC coach also sang Crosby’s praises, specifically his work ethic and refusal to leave the game for even a snap.
“For him to play at that high a level with that volume is incredible,” a high-ranking AFC personnel staff member said.
Crosby trailed the Browns’ Myles Garrett, the Steelers’ T.J. Watt, and the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons in this ranking. He barely edged out Bosa, the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson and the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson for the No. 4 spot.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.