Why Raiders' Maxx Crosby is 'most disruptive defensive player' Detroit Lions have faced

Aidan Hutchinson got a surprise direct message this summer after the Detroit Lions posted video of a spin move he pulled off during training camp, from Las Vegas Raiders pass rush artist Maxx Crosby.

"He just DM’d me out of nowhere said, ‘Nice spin,’ " Hutchinson told the Free Press on Thursday. "It was pretty cool. It was a pretty cool moment."

Hutchinson and Crosby, who did not know each other before the social media exchange, have traded messages in the months since and plan to swap jerseys when the Lions host the Raiders on Monday night at Ford Field.

Crosby, a former Eastern Michigan star, is tied for seventh in the NFL with 6½ sacks through seven games; Hutchinson, who played up the road at Michigan, leads the Lions with 4½ sacks.

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And as the Lions try to keep Crosby from wrecking their game plan this week, right tackle Penei Sewell, the man who will spend most of the game blocking Crosby, said his training camp battles with Hutchinson have helped prepare him to face one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

"Just strictly off film, yeah, I think they’re kind of similar but I just have to really see for myself Monday night," Sewell said. "But I think Aidan’s helped me become the player I am today and just picking his brain to what he sees and just going back and forth, so it’ll be fun."

Crosby, 26, has established himself as one of the best defensive ends in football after slipping to the fourth round of the 2019 draft.

He was runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year in his 10-sack rookie season, made his first Pro Bowl two years later in 2021 and is coming off a career-high 12½-sack season in which he led the NFL with 22 tackles for loss.

Lions coach Dan Campbell called Crosby "the most disruptive defensive player we’ve played all year to this point."

“What does he not do well?" Campbell said. "I don’t know what that would be. He’s very active. He’s slithery. He can bend. He’s explosive. Quick first step. He’s very crafty, man. He’s a master of his craft, man. His hands. His bend. And then his motor, I mean, he just doesn’t quit.

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"So he’s disruptive in the run game. And the pass game is not only what you see off the edge or his ability to pressure the quarterback, but it’s getting the football out, too. It’s one thing to get a sack on a guy but he’s getting the ball out if he gets around the horn. So this’ll be a big challenge, really for our O-line in general, cause this guy moves around now."

Crosby, who has seven career forced fumbles but none this season, plays primarily as a left defensive end in the Raiders' 4-3 scheme but aligns occasionally at right end and sometimes as an interior rusher in obvious passing situations.

He's faced constant double-teams and regular chip help this season, but should have plenty of one-on-one matchups Monday against Sewell, one of the game's best right tackles.

"I’m going to have my popcorn out watching those two go at it," Hutchinson said.

Crosby has at least a half-sack in five straight games and six of the Raiders' seven games this season, and he's done it while playing 97% of Las Vegas' defensive snaps.

Sewell said the best word to describe Crosby is "relentless."

"You just see it," he said. "He never stops, he plays, he’s always on the field, never comes off and as that whistle goes, he’s going until the whistle ends."

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And both he and Lions left tackle Taylor Decker said they relish tests like the one Crosby presents.

"I mean, this is what you do at tackle." Decker said. "That’s why they bring you here is to pass block guys like that, and probably leave you one-on-one with him. So yeah, that's kind of the game within the game and it’s a fun challenge."

“I think you got to look forward to these matchups when you’re in the league," Sewell said. "They happen once in a while and you’ve got to be grateful that they’re in the league and in their prime, so it’s a great challenge. He’s one of the best in the league right now and you can turn on the tape and see what he does. So me and Deck know what we got — it’s not really just me and Deck, it’s really the whole O-line will probably see him, so we know what the challenge is and we're excited."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Raiders Maxx Crosby: Most disruptive player Detroit Lions have faced