Seattle Seahawks Pick Charles Cross In First Round Of NFL Draft
April 28, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Cross becomes Mississippi State’s 15th first-round selection all-time.
STARKVILLE – It seemed inevitable and it's now a certainty. Mississippi State offensive lineman Charles Cross is a first-round NFL Draft pick.
The Seattle Seahawks chose Cross with the ninth overall selection after the 2022 NFL Draft began on Thursday night in Las Vegas. Cross became the 15th Bulldog all-time to be chosen in the draft's opening round. He is now the highest-drafted MSU offensive lineman ever, surpassing Derek Sherrod who was taken 32nd overall by the Green Bay Packers in 2011.
Cross goes from State to Sundays after a spectacular career in maroon and white. The Laurel, Mississippi, native has spent the last three years in Starkville where he played in three games and redshirted in 2019 before becoming MSU's starting left tackle for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Upon becoming the starter, Cross made an immediate impact. He was chosen to the Freshman All-SEC Team by league coaches in 2020. This followed a year where Cross was State's top-graded offensive linemen on five different occasions. However, Cross was just getting started and in 2021, set himself apart as one of the country's elite tackles.
This past season, Cross earned the top pass blocking grade in all the SEC 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 as Rogers passed for an SEC-leading 364.5 yards per game and 4,739 total yards – the third-most in a single season in conference history.
The accolades poured in for Cross' dominance last season. Multiple outlets selected Cross as both a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC player. Additionally, he twice earned the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week Award, as well as won the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Kent Hull Trophy for being the best collegiate offensive lineman in the state of Mississippi.
Now, Cross will be taking his talents to Seattle. Other Bulldogs could see their own NFL dreams realized over the next two days as the NFL Draft continues with two more rounds on Friday ahead of the final four rounds on Saturday.
