3/16/2017 football Edit

Scouting junior cornerback D.J. Crossen

Jacey Zembal • TheWolfpackCentral

Writer

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Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley junior cornerback D.J. Crossen is one of the best at what he does.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is ranked No. 29 nationally at cornerback and the No. 18 overall player in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2018 by Rivals.com.

Crossen led Dudley to the NCHSAA 4A state title and a 15-1 mark this past season. He finished with 64 tackles, three interceptions and one caused fumble.Crossen opened up his recruitment in late January, decommitting from North Carolina. He had unofficially visited NC State on Jan. 21. NC State, North Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Louisville, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Wisconsin have all offered him.

The Wolfpacker was able to watch Crossen play twice his junior year, including the Dudley’s 54-0 win over Fayetteville (N.C.) Cape Fear on Dec. 17 in the state title game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

The video

The stats

Crossen had three tackles, one interception for a 28-yard touchdown, one forced fumble and one kick return for eight yards in the win over Cape Fear.

Our take

Crossen has all the tools to be a quality college cornerback, whether in man-to-man coverage or zone. He has great size for the position and is willing to stick his nose in on run support. Crossen also runs well and can close on a receiver or a ball carrier.

Cornerbacks are known to have confidence, and Crossen has plenty of it on the field. He wants to make big plays and has the instincts to do it. He didn’t follow the receiver downfield on his interception, instead noticing the quarterback was going to throw the ball in the flats.

Some have wondered if Crossen is a free safety, but he has the hips and ability to turn and run to be a cornerback. He has played some safety at Dudley, but not as much as former NC State star and current Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson did for the Panthers. Amerson played free safety and was often deep in center field in high school.

NC State has prioritized Crossen and needs cornerbacks in the class of 2018. New safeties coach Aaron Henry and cornerbacks coach George Barlow have been recruiting him. The sense is that some of the Greensboro area prospects might pick some of the same colleges. Crossen could be a pied piper of sorts.