Tyrell Crosby can provide the depth the Redskins need at the tackle position

Tyrell Crosby, OT
School: Oregon | Conference: PAC 12
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22?
Height / Weight: 6-4 / 319 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd Round
NFL Comparison: Jordan Mills

College Statistics

N/A

Player Overview

Tyrell Crosby came to Oregon on the last leg of its glory days. As a freshman Crosby started at right tackle for the Ducks and even played in the 2014 National Championship against Ohio State game protecting Marcus Mariota. Crosby spent his first two college seasons playing RT before going into his junior year where he moved to left tackle but it was nearly completely lost because of a foot injury. His senior year he did not allow a sack all season. Crosby is quick out of his stance and generally does a decent job to mirror and shuffle to protect the edge. He also uses his size and his power to move opponents from their spot. Crosby still has a lot of big technique issues to clean up. He bends at the waist, lunges, plays upright, and doesn't always connect with his hands. Crosby was named PAC 12 offensive lineman of the year (voted on by opposing defensive lineman) but faced some difficulty going up against more talented competition this past week at the Senior Bowl. Crosby is a competitor and plays to the whistle. I’m not sure if he plays left tackle at the next level but despite his somewhat raw abilities, he has a good base of skills to work with. Crosby should offer a good value to teams willing to coach him up to be a starter at either tackle position.

Strengths

• Good size for the position and easily has the room to add 10-20 lbs more muscle to his frame.
• Works hard every snap and will compete and plays to the whistle. Has a bit of nasty to him and will bury a defender.
• Initial quickness has helped cover a lot of technique issues. Able to recover off the edge because of his quickness, shuffle and when he plays square.
• Pleasantly stout and effective as a pass blocker. I think his size and strength helps him immensely in this area.

Weaknesses

• Significant technique issues to clean up. Bends at the waist. Base is narrow at times. Footwork needs to sync up with the upper body. Plays too upright and can lose balance and leverage battles.
• Can be quick out of his stance but still not the best athlete at the position. Choppy feet. Not too sure about his ability to get out in front and lead the way in space and connect with a defender.
• Susceptible to speed rushers coming off the edge or exploiting his inside shoulder.
• At times gets in the way of opponents more than he actually blocks them.

Let’s see his work:

More Tyrell Crosby videos

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

It has been a very long time since the Redskins drafted the tackle position for depth and development purposes. The team has opted instead to fill out the depth of the unit in free agency which has lead to mixed results on the field. Last year showed us that the tackle depth on the team needed more attention paid to it than has been in recent years. I can make a strong argument why the Redskins would be one of the top destinations for a young tackle to learn in develop. For a player like Tyrell Crosby who has some nice base skills but still needs some time to refine his craft, I can think of a few. The first is despite where Crosby is projected to play (LT vs RT discussion) he would be learning from two of the best players at their position in Trent Williams and Morgan Moses. The second is working and learning from offensive line coach Bill Callahan who despite some recent criticisms from the fan base is still regarded as one of the top offensive line coaches in the business. I think these two big factors along with the need not to play right away would do wonders for a kid like Crosby in his development.

I think it is much more ideal to draft a player with starter potential in the mid rounds, develop him, and have him waiting in the wings than it is to scramble to find a left tackle and potentially spend a 1st round pick or what have you when a players contract and career is coming to an end. Crosby could develop his body over the next couple years in addition to cleaning up his skill set to fit in a power blocking scheme. I think Crosby is a much better fit in a man-blocking scheme than he was in some of the zone stuff he played at Oregon. The Redskins have a few holes to fill in the 3rd round I don’t think an investment in the tackle position is a bad idea.