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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Film Don't Lie: Howard Cross III

April 22, 2018
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The foundation of a championship team starts with the defensive line. It’s not a coincidence that the best teams in the nation year after year are loaded at that position group. More than just quality, quantity matters as well.

That’s why landing a commitment from Howard Cross III is a big deal for the Irish. Adding him to Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears gives Notre Dame their third 4-star defensive lineman in this class. That’s always a good thing in any recruiting cycle.

Whether Cross joins them inside or plays end in college is yet to be determined, but he’ll find a fit somewhere. He is still has some physical development to do to figure that part out. When that gets fleshed out, Notre Dame is going to get a player with an extremely high floor. I will be very surprised if he doesn’t turn out to be a good player for multiple seasons at the next level.

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 240

Projected Position: 3 technique or strong side end

ISD Grade: 90 (4-star)

National Average Grade: 91 (4-star)

What he does best:

Maybe it’s partly genetics with his father being a former NFL tight end. Hard work is definitely a piece of it too because players don’t naturally play this strong. He is stout at the point of attack and consistently plays with good pad level.

He has a good first step like he shows here and can deliver a solid punch. He understands how to separate and disengage as well to finish the play.

via GIPHY

I love his motor. He is constantly working even against double teams where you see many young players quit. He splits the double here because never stops.

via GIPHY

This is a frequent occurrence with him. Cross looks like he’ll be an example for other defensive linemen to follow in terms when it comes to hustling.

Instincts aren’t something that are talked about with defensive linemen all that often because people are fixated on physical traits. There are some who check off all the boxes there that never become good players, though, and it’s because they lack instincts when it comes to attacking blocks.

That will never be an issue with Cross. He recognizes and reacts to things incredibly quickly. He knows that to do and how to attack depending on the look he is getting from the blocking scheme. On this play the tackle steps down and Cross steps down with him like he is supposed to do. But then when the fullback attacks him he figures out quickly that the play is meant to be run outside of him. That’s why he spins outside and right into a tackle.

via GIPHY

That’s not a normal thing for a defensive lineman at that age. It takes some players years to figure out how to react to a play like that. With Cross it just seems natural.

He has good snap anticipation and he flashes some very good lateral quickness. As an interior pass rusher and pass rusher in general, that is critically important.

via GIPHY

What he needs to improve:

It’s unfortunate that he is not 6’5” like his father because he appears to have short arms. Defensive linemen can succeed without great arm length, but it makes things much more difficult.

He shows a quick and violent punch at times, but it’s not all the time. It’s going to have to be all the time at the next level because he won’t be able to win without it.

A couple of times I saw him try to quick swim out of a block when the blocker was engaged with him and he ended up getting stuck. That’s a habit that he needs to break.

He is strong in just about every area as a run defender, but he lacks any effective pass rush moves right now. He relies on a bull rush for the most part. He needs to expand that part of his game in a big way.

What’s his ceiling?

Cross is an intriguing prospect because he kind of a ‘tweener. He is End size right now, but he is better suited to play inside at the next level in my opinion.

He may be the kind of player who sticks at End on run downs and either moves inside in sub-packages or goes off the field entirely. His physical development and how big he gets is going to determine his ceiling.

If he gets to the 285 range and carries it well, then I think he has a chance to develop into a very good starter at 3-tech. If plays in the 260 range and stays outside, then I don’t think his ceiling is as high because he has a chance to be a much better pass rusher from the interior.

I think he will be a good rotational player at worst, though, and should be prepared to play early in his college career from a technique perspective. He may never be an All-American caliber defender, but can be a very valuable piece to a collective on the defensive line.

 
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