OT, Mississippi State
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 310 lbs
Class: Junior
Cross was rated as a five-star recruit in the 2019 class and the No. 27 overall player in the country. He earned offers from 16 schools and initially committed to Florida State. He later flipped to the Bulldogs, where he redshirted his true freshman season.
Cross was given an opportunity to start after the hiring of Mike Leach in 2020 and has since developed into one of the nation’s best offensive tackles. He has started every game at left tackle in that period and earned First Team All-SEC honours in his final season.
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Strengths
The biggest strength to Cross’ game is his ability as a pass protector. Playing in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense has given him a huge amount of experience in that part of the game and he enters the draft as one of the most battle-tested pass protectors in the country. His 719 pass blocking snaps are the third most of any tackle in college football this season.
This has allowed him to develop some of the smoothest and most refined pass sets in the country and he is comfortable working on jump, 45-degree, and vertical sets. His 2021 tape has been particularly impressive and Cross allowed just 16 total pressures. He has given up pressures on just 1.7% of his pass blocking snaps, which ranks 11th amongst FBS tackles.
Part of the reason that Cross is so impressive as a pass protector is his athletic profile. He possesses ideal tools, with the short area burst and foot quickness to translate to the NFL. He gets great depth out of his pass sets and is exceptional at handling speed rushers. His lateral quickness is also very impressive and allows him to quickly respond to counter moves. Cross also possesses good play strength with the ability to anchor against power rushers.
Cross also offers very good football intelligence. He reads the game well, particularly in pass protection and understands his responsibilities. He is quick to process his opponent’s rush plan and knows how to neutralise different techniques. Cross is also very comfortable reading and passing off stunts and blitzes as required.
Weaknesses
The main concern with Cross will be his ability as a run blocker. Whilst he showed flashes on zone scheme runs, he lacks the power and play strength to be a truly scheme-versatile tackle in the NFL. His hand placement could also be inconsistent. Coupled with his lack of lower body strength, this inhibited his ability to create movement at the line of scrimmage.
The other concern is something outside of Cross’ control, and that is Mississippi State’s scheme. The pass-heavy Air Raid offense involves lots of quick passes and screens and many defenses only sent three rushers. As a result, he was rarely tested in the way that he will be at the NFL level. Just 19.4% of his pass blocking snaps came on true pass sets. The scheme also involves a very limited running game, both in terms of frequency and the variety of plays. It could therefore take Cross a little while to adjust to an NFL offense.
Bottom Line
There might not be a more refined pass protector in this year’s class. Cross brings plenty of experience and pairs this with the athletic ability and play strength to translate to the NFL. He needs some work as a run blocker, but he still projects as a good starting tackle at the next level.
Ideal role: Tackle in a pass-heavy offense
Round projection: 1st round
