Measurables
UNIVERSITY- Mississippi St. AGE- 21 CLASS- RSSO
HEIGHT- 6’5” WEIGHT- 310 ARM LENGTH-
40 Time- 3 CONE- VERTICAL- BROAD JUMP- BENCH PRESS-
Overview
Charles Cross played his high school ball at Laurel High School in Mississippi where he was considered the best recruit in the state by many. As a true freshman in 2019 Cross was redshirted but managed to appear in 3 games. In 2020 he started in 10 games at left tackle where he earned Freshman All-SEC honors for his efforts. In 2021 Cross started in 12 games at left tackle and earned First team All-SEC as well as the Kent Hull Trophy(best collegiate linemen in the state of Mississippi).
Strengths
Watching Charles Cross reminds me of watching Neo in the Matrix. When you watch Miss. State’s passing game QBs are running around, linemen are giving up pressure and sacks all around but among that chaos there’s Charles Cross easily eliminating his rusher from the play. Cross is extremely athletic with his balance and foot quickness. You rarely see him falter in his technique no matter if it’s in the run game or the pass. Cross uses his quickness to keep himself in front of rushers in the pass game and he is always able to remain square, maintaining a strong base. As a run blocker Cross plays with great leverage and hand placement to consistently move defenders out of the hole. He positions his body perfectly to wall off defenders from the play. Even on plays where he may get beat his extreme athleticism allows himself to get repositioned and ultimately win the rep. Cross plays with great leg drive and effort to finish defenders in the run game. He also showed the ability to break off onto second level blocks consistently. He never looked out of place or off balance when reaching the second level of the defense on a block. Cross is a fantastic player in space. Pass rushers simply won’t win with speed against him, Cross quickness and agility to redirect and stay in front of rushers is elite. He was very smooth in switching off rushers in stunts and picking up free blitzer, there were a few pass reps that I saw him pick up multiple blocks on the same play. Great first step into his pass pro and off the ball as a run defender. He is a day 1 starter at left tackle.
Weaknesses/Room for Improvement
There aren’t many flaws in Cross’ game tape but he has some physical limitations. Cross has average length for the position, not elite. He’s also a little slight for the position. This causes him to be at a disadvantage against longer edge defenders who use their length to disengage from his blocks. I felt Cross was a little slow at times to flash his hands in the pass game but this allowed him to always stay in position so it wasn’t a big deal. I would like to see him just wash a defender out of the play when the opportunity presents itself. The greatest concern with Cross is his lack of power. A good bull rush can knock him back and off balance. Although he was able to regain his control most of the time, there were some reps where a rusher was able to barrel through him and get a sack or pressure. He shows an overall lack of strength in the run game as well. An edge defender with a stout base can hold him up and disengage to make a play. He played with overall great technique, there were a few occasions where his hands ended up outside the shoulder pads though. Overall Charles Cross’ tape is fantastic and you would probably say it’s better than any tackle in this class but he lacks elite size and strength.
Scheme Fit
Zone Run Scheme, get this athletic freak out on the move.
Round Grade
Early First Round Pick