Getty Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers actually add an edge rusher in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, they could do a lot worse than taking a player compared to one of the league’s elite pass rushers.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid compared All-American UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu to Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby in a recent list of ESPN’s favorite prospect-to-pro comparisons ahead of the draft on April 25-27 in Detroit.
Mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic and PFF all have the Buccaneers taking Latu with the No. 26 overall pick.
“When it comes to pass-rush repertoire, there isn’t a better pure pass-rusher in this draft class than Latu,” Reid wrote. “At 6-5, 259 pounds, the former UCLA defensive end is similar to Crosby in stature (6-5, 255 pounds) and playing style. They both have an array of moves and can bend and corner to get to the quarterback, while also playing with a motor that never stops.”
Maxx Crosby Came From Humble Beginnings
The Raiders used a fourth-round pick on Crosby out of Eastern Michigan in the 2019 NFL draft — the only college that offered him a scholarship — and the Colleyville, Texas, native established his dominance right away with 47 tackles, 10.0 sacks and 4 forced fumbles as a rookie.
Crosby racked up 15 sacks across the next two seasons and made the first of three consecutive Pro Bowls and earned the first of two NFL All-Pro Team selections in 2021, when he also led the NFL with 82 quarterback hurries and 53 quarterback pressures. Crosby cashed out in a big way in March 2022 with a four-year, $98.8 million contract extension with $53 million in guaranteed money.
Crosby delivered the best two seasons of his career following his big payday, with 89 tackles and 12.5 sacks in 2022 and 90 tackles and 14.5 sacks in 2023.
[Highlight] Maxx Crosby applied pressure on Patrick Mahomes all game long
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Latu, Crosby Had Similar College Statistics
Other than being almost exactly the same size, Crosby and Latu had similar college careers when it came to statistics and honors. Each only played three full seasons before making the move to the NFL and their 40-yard dash times were eerily similar — Latu ran it in 4.64 seconds and Crosby ran it in 4.66 seconds.
Latu was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection and Crosby was a two-time All-MAC selection. Crosby finished his career with 20.0 sacks and Latu had 23.5 sacks.
Reid, Mel Kiper Jr. and Matt Miller all have Latu ranked in their top three edge rushers in the 2024 NFL draft in ESPN’s positional rankings.
“Latu possesses the kind of rare maturity to his game that you usually see from NFL veterans,” wrote NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein, who compared Latu to 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time NFL All-Pro T.J. Watt. “He rarely stays blocked by tackles as a run defender and dominates blocking tight ends on the collegiate level. His pass-rush approach is both well conceived and instinctive, and he’s brilliant at taking possession of the rep using clever hands and slippery angles to pry open opportunities. His eyes play beyond blockers, and he feeds off of a voracious motor that keeps him pushing forward as a run defender and pass rusher.”