Through 2 Games, Raiders Have the Highest-Graded Edge Defender in the NFL

   September 21, 2021

The Raiders have spent three years trying to find an edge defender worthy of replacing Khalil Mack and based on the first two weeks of the season, they may have found one.

After recording 10 sacks in his rookie year, Maxx Crosby had a relatively underwhelming 7-sack season in 2020, in part because of a handful of injuries. But Crosby is back to 100 percent and says he is in the best shape of his life.

Through two regular season games, Crosby has 2 sacks, 8 quarterback hits, and 9 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. Even more impressive is that Crosby is the highest-graded edge rusher in the NFL (PFF).

Brian Baldinger on Twitter: “.@Raiders @CrosbyMaxx is on a mission. The worst thing for any defensive lineman are stats! Just go affect the QB and the GAME. Maxx did that Sunday. This is for your viewing pleasure #RaiderNation #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/q2KLeXwsMO / Twitter”

@Raiders @CrosbyMaxx is on a mission. The worst thing for any defensive lineman are stats! Just go affect the QB and the GAME. Maxx did that Sunday. This is for your viewing pleasure #RaiderNation #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/q2KLeXwsMO

For anyone that has watched the Raiders’ first two games, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Crosby is grading so well. He looks quicker and stronger, but he still has a motor that never seems to stop. No defensive lineman on the Raiders has taken more snaps than Crosby (114) and the next closest player isn’t even all that close (Hankins, 84).

Another encouraging dynamic at the moment is that Crosby isn’t the only pass-rusher on the Raiders’ roster making a big impression. Yannick Ngakoue is PFF’s no. 10 edge rusher through the first two weeks. Of course there is still a lot of season left to play, but it’s starting to feel like the Raiders have assembled their most effective defensive front in well over a decade.

And for anyone who might be interested, Khalil Mack isn’t even in PFF’s top 50 graded edge defenders. Mack comes in at no. 67 and will count for $99.5 million against the Bears salary cap over the next four years.

twitter: @raidersbeat

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2 thoughts on “Through 2 Games, Raiders Have the Highest-Graded Edge Defender in the NFL”

  1. The raidersbeatdown is not allowed to now jump on the Raiders band wagon,you and most of the other so called Raider sites have done nothing but talk about the Mack and Cooper trade as the single worse trade in football history. If you were able to interview coach Gruden he would have told you, the year Carr gets hurt, that team was built for that year only (that’s his words) they weren’t built for long term success. The team couldn’t keep all three, you know because of the salary cap or maybe you don’t know.
    That’s the problem when you don’t have access to the team all you can do is copy and paste other reporters stories.

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