Cross On Cusp Of Seeing NFL Dream Realized
April 27, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Charles Cross always had the NFL in his sights and his hard work to reach his goal is about to pay off.
STARKVILLE – It's kind of ironic how it's all worked out. When the NFL Draft begins on Thursday night, all Charles Cross can do is sit and wait to find out where he'll begin his professional football career. And sitting around isn't Cross' style at all.
If mock drafts and projections are to be believed, it's a virtual certainty Cross will hear his name called on Thursday, which would make him the 15th Mississippi State player all-time to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. It appears to be just a matter of when. Will Cross be a top-five pick? Top 10?
Again, all Cross can do is wait and see, which is the exact opposite of the approach he took to make himself into one of the greatest offensive linemen in Bulldog history.
"It was a lot of hard work [and] staying consistent," Cross said. "Doing what I need to do to put myself in a position to be successful, that's what it really came down to."
Cross has never minded the extra effort. Why? Well it was all for this moment in time.
Some children grow up wanting to be firemen or astronauts or any other number of things that capture little ones' attention. Oftentimes, those plans change.
As for Cross, well he knew early on what he wanted his future career to be. His mind hasn't been swayed since.
"I knew [I wanted to be in the NFL] since I was a little kid," Cross said. "That's why I've worked so hard. I've just tried to be the best I can be and keep going day by day."
That's precisely what Cross did. He went from backyard football, to organized football, to high school football at Laurel (Mississippi) High. By his senior year, everyone in the college football world knew who Charles Cross was.
He'd developed into a five-star offensive tackle prospect per both Rivals and 247Sports. Both outlets pegged Cross as the top recruit in the state of Mississippi and a Top-20 player nationally.
Cross had many collegiate suitors, but his home state Bulldogs couldn't be topped. It's a decision he'd make again and again if given the chance.
"That's where I went to," Cross said with a smile. "That's my school. I love this place."
In Starkville the work continued. As a true freshman in 2019, Cross redshirted. He saw action in three games – just enough to get his feet wet. It seemingly only made Cross hungrier than ever before.
When head coach Mike Leach took over at Mississippi State and brought the Air Raid offense to town prior to the 2020 season, Cross was MSU's starting left tackle and his journey towards the NFL was put into high gear.
Bulldog offensive line coach Mason Miller believed he was coaching a future pro. What he didn't realize though was how quickly Cross would develop. The foundation of it all has been the ability to focus on the process itself and nothing else.
"I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know it was going to happen that fast," Miller said of Cross' growth. "That's a testament to Charles. I go back to a game his freshman year and I'm going out on the field and he goes, 'I know, I know, I know, I messed up. I shouldn't have done this.' Then you watched him autocorrect it the next play or the next series. That's really hard to do at 18 years old, or 19 at the time I think he was. So, for him to be able to do that and know what he did wrong and then fix it, well that's going to breed confidence. That's going to give you the courage to not worry about making mistakes. A lot of guys play timid. A lot of guys play scared because they're worried about the result instead of what they should be doing. Worry about what you're supposed to be doing then the result will take care of itself."
For Cross, his ability to handle his business without concerning himself about outcomes and other things has proven to be one of his greatest strengths.
"You know, he never worried about the things that were a week down the road or a month down the road," Miller said. "He worried about right now. I think that's an important asset for anybody that wants to obtain goals is you have to focus on what's going on right now. If I've got a bad pass set or I've got a bad run blocking technique, I can't worry about blocking a guy five yards away if I don't do what's one yard in front of me."
You can't argue with the results Cross got from his mindset. In the 2021 season, he earned the top pass blocking grade in all the Southeastern Conference per Pro Football Focus. He finished second in the league in run blocking grade.
Cross surrendered only two sacks all season on 919 pass blocking snaps and protected quarterback Will Rogers' blind side, allowing Rogers to pass for an SEC-leading 364.5 yards per game and 4,739 total yards – the third-most in a single season in conference history.
All the success goes back to Cross' work ethic. Cross handling his business in the present left little time for him to concern himself with the future.
It's brought Cross to the point where his future is now.
Cross is primed to be not only one of this year's top picks, but if he's taken with any of the first 31 selections, he'll be drafted earlier than any offensive lineman in Mississippi State history.
Cross is going into his potentially big Thursday night with confidence.
"Personally, I believe I'm the best offensive tackle in the draft," Cross said.
He's worked for years to feel that way. Cross has earned the right to quit grinding for a minute and just sit and wait…and find out where all his work has taken him so he can get back to working again.
"It's a blessing just to be in the position I'm in and I just thank God for it every day," Cross said.
