Leading up to the NFL Draft there were a number of teams that pundits expected Dalton Crossan to land with, either by being drafted or signed.
He had some individual workouts, a number of teams saw his electric performance at the New Hampshire pro day and he spoke with a handful of team representatives leading up to the draft.
You heard teams like the Patriots, Cardinals, Giants and Seahawks all had strong interest in Crossan, a Sachem alum. Then within an hour of the draft ending Indianapolis flew in and signed one of the biggest sleepers in this year’s undrafted free agent class.
It turns out the Colts have been scouting Crossan since he was a star at Sachem, they just didn’t realize it yet. This is all thanks in part to area scout Mike Derice, who lives in Mount Sinai and recruited Crossan to play at Stony Brook where he was an assistant coach prior to taking a job with the Colts.
“I’ve followed his career even when I went to Indy,” said Derice. “We remained in contact. I’d see him every year since he was a freshman. When he and I had conversations prior to the draft, I coached him through the process. I couldn’t get him at Stony Brook, but we got him in Indy.”
Derice is the initial person in the Colts’ organization to present a player grade on Crossan that is worth mentioning to the front office staff. In a system of checks and balances, other scouts verify his marks, and if all numbers and opinions align, they add those players to draft boards and priority watch lists.
“I don’t think my opinion of Dalton has ever changed since he was a senior in high school,” said Derice. “His body has changed a little bit, he’s a little bigger and faster, but the talent is the same. He’s versatile, a good runner out of the backfield who can catch the ball. You can line him up in a number of ways and can take advantage of the defense, which is what New Hampshire did.”
Derice believes Crossan is a player who has a role on the next level. Colts GM Chris Ballard said last week that Crossan is one of the three undrafted free agents to watch at the team’s rookie minicamp, which kicks off this week.
“He has a chance to survive,” said Derice. “We knew if we were going to have a crack at him, it would be after the draft. He was one of our target guys. He’s excited to come to Indy and show us what he can do. He said, ‘You finally got me.’ I think he has a chance to compete for a roster spot.”
It’s difficult for scouts to have their prospects drafted, let alone signed. Derice was successful with this year’s draft as the Colts landed Malik Hooker from Ohio State in the first round, Tarell Basham from Ohio University in the third, and Nate Hairston from Temple in the fifth. All fall within his northeast scouting area.
“It’s always good to have a guy from your area succeed,” he said. “It’s hard to get a player drafted in particular. Everyone has to be on board, from every scout to the GM, to the coaches; to have collective ideas that this is the guy.”
With undrafted free agents, think about the scramble of phone calls hundreds of players are receiving towards the end of the draft. It’s a mad dash of agents, free agents, and front office staffs all aiming to make dreams become reality.
“You hope that they’re successful and they’re the ones you really push for,” said Derice, referring to the connection and pride he has with the players he scouts. “People will remember that.”
Derice has watched Crossan play dozens of times and reviewed countless hours of film of the newly minted NFL sleeper. One game at New Hampshire he recalls specifically is when Crossan cut across the field four times on one big run: “I was like, ‘yup, Dalton’s still got it!’ He has the ability to make people miss. He can win in multiple ways. It started in high school, continued in college and hopefully in the NFL.”
Crossan has Highest RAS of Any Colts’ UDFA
No surprise here, but Crossan has the highest relative athletic score of any undrafted free agent that the Colts signed within the last two weeks.
For those not up on the latest data analytic terms in football …
Relative Athletic Scores take player measurements and put them on an easy to understand 0 to 10 scale compared to their position group. A final score is then produced which is also on a 0 to 10 score to show overall athleticism for a draft prospect. This data can be used to chart trends over time, showing that overall athleticism is likely a contributing factor to player success in the NFL. (via RelativeAthleticScores.com)
His score of 8.32 leads a list of 18 free agent signees.
All #Colts UDFA from @StampedeBlue, including their Relative Athletic Scores (#RAS) and all time rankings. pic.twitter.com/vjqRG9nXjp
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) May 3, 2017
Revo on Crossan: Confidence, Work Ethic, Adversity, Reward
If you’re wondering what Crossan has been up to since announcing he would be signing with the Colts, it’s not much different than the days leading up to the draft. He was working out.
You could find him at Revolution Athletics in Bohemia, where he has trained for years when he was not in New Hampshire, or EXOS in San Diego.
Known as “Revo” to locals, the athletic performance and training center has made its mark on local high school and college athletics, constantly turning out some of the top talent in multiple sports every year.
They recently posted a blog about the ingredients that make Crossan so successful. Among them are his confidence, work ethic, adversity and reward.
“Whether it was the NFL or working towards a career elsewhere, Dalton will be successful because of the person he has molded himself into,” the blog entry reads. “These are the stories that young athletes need to hear. These are the lessons that sports teach you and these lessons that we learn are what help develop young men and women into successful business men, women, parents. We can all learn from others’ experiences and use them to help us grow and become the person we want to be.”
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro