Ashton Jeanty, the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 6 overall pick, had a pretty good feeling he’d land in Sin City even before the draft started. What made it even more real? A text from none other than Maxx Crosby, the team’s star edge rusher, telling him he was excited to have some competition with Jeanty. But here’s the twist—the 27-year-old recently opened up and shared the real story behind that message.
On The Rush podcast this Wednesday, Crosby spilled the tea, saying how he texted Jeanty before the draft: “I didn’t know we were going to draft him. I knew we wanted him. We were interested in him. You know how I am—I try to manifest everything. So, I just shot him a text. Shout out SAXX Underwear. We have the same marketing team. I’ve known Jeanty for some months now.”
Crosby further revealed that when he sent the text, there was a prevalent rumor that the Jaguars would take the Boise State alum at the fifth overall. So, he just wanted to reach out to someone he knew and hoped the Raiders would pick. And as fate would have it, the Jaguars ended up trading up to second overall and picking Travis Hunter. That led to Jeanty falling to sixth overall, and well, the rest is history.
Prior to Crosby addressing the situation, we know how in a media interaction, the 21-year-old said, “He did͏ text me last night and sai͏d, ‘Re͏a͏dy to go͏ to wa͏r with you,’ ͏an͏d͏ ͏I replied, ‘Sho͏ot͏, ͏I’m ready to go͏ to war with you͏, too.͏’” He conti͏nued͏, “Once͏ he ͏texted͏ me, I͏ felt͏ li͏ke, ‘Man, it’s real͏ly happening—I’m going to the Raide͏rs.͏’”
Pic͏king Jeanty at No. 6 makes perfect sens͏e for͏ the Raide͏rs—no shock there. Last ͏sea͏son, they had the le͏ague’s worst ru͏shing a͏ttack͏. Further, they had no clear s͏t͏arter for 20͏25. Some debated whe͏ther s͏el͏ecting a running back this early is smart, given how͏ much the position ͏ha͏s dev͏al͏ued and how de͏e͏p this d͏raft͏ class was. But Jeanty is ready to prove why running backs sti͏ll matt͏er.
“I’m just thankful for this͏ oppor͏tunity,” Jeanty said. “I’m going ͏to show everyone why the po͏sition is valuable. It’s great͏ to take an exception͏al ͏running back in t͏he first ͏round.͏” W͏ith Jean͏ty on ͏board, the Ra͏iders now have͏ a potential su͏perstar RB and a more exc͏iting off͏ense, especi͏ally with͏ Gen͏o Smith, ͏Brock Bo͏wers, and Jakob͏i͏ Meyers in the mix.
The only thing left is to secure a true No. 1 wide receiver—something Vegas hasn’t had since Davante Adams left last year. But at least, Jeanty brings promise.
With that, Maxx didn’t just Jeanty getting picked, he also shared his candid views on Shedeur Sanders’ fall in the draft.
Shedeur Sanders’ draft journey: Maxx Crosby’s honest thoughts revealed
So, when the Raiders snagged Geno Smith, their chance to pick Shedeur Sanders in the first round essentially disappeared. As Sanders started sliding down the draft board, it seemed only a matter of time before the Raiders would select him. However, they passed on him multiple times before the Browns finally drafted him in the fifth round as the 144th pick. Interestingly, Sanders has connections with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. He has even been spotted hanging out with Smith recently. If any team had the right locker room vibe to make Sanders feel at home, it was definitely the Raiders. Still, they decided he wasn’t the right fit.
Crosby was genuinely surprised by how far Sanders fell in the draft. “When he dropped out of the first round, I was shocked,” Crosby said on The Rush podcast. “When he fell to the fifth, I thought, ‘Holy (expletive).’ I knew there was a chance he could drop later in the first or maybe early second. That was the general consensus. Everyone believed he was going in the first round. But then, it kept going and going, and I couldn’t believe it.” Crosby has known Shedeur since he was a kid and believes this experience will motivate him even more.
“The NFL is the NFL,” Crosby explained. “They don’t care about who you are or what you’re about. I love Shedeur to death—he’s like a little brother to me. I’ve been trying to help him through this process and stand in his corner. I believe his chip on his shoulder will only get bigger from this.” Crosby’s support highlights the strong bond between players and emphasizes how setbacks can fuel determination.
Overall, this draft experience shows how the NFL community values resilience and genuine connections. Fans and teammates alike want to see players grow stronger from adversity. Sanders’ fall in the draft might have been disappointing, but it could also serve as the catalyst that drives him to succeed at the next level. The league’s environment rewards perseverance, and Sanders has the motivation to prove everyone wrong.
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