Previewing the Patriots cornerback heading into his first season in the NFL.
Despite having several proven starter-level players on their roster already, the New England Patriots decided to make some serious investments in their defensive backfield this offseason. Those investments range from Carlton Davis’ multi-year free agency deal to some low-level undrafted rookie pacts. One of those belongs to Brandon Crossley.
Hard facts
Name: Brandon Crossley
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 37 (b)
Opening day age: 24 (1/17/2001)
Measurements: 5’10 3/8”, 186 lbs, 71 3/8” wingspan, 29 1/2” arm length, 8 1/2” hand size, 4.44s 40-yard dash, 7.08s 3-cone drill, 4.35s short shuttle, 30 1/2” vertical jump, 9’10” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 3.82 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Colorado State (2019), SMU (2020-24)
A two-way player in high school, Crossley was rated as a four-star cornerback recruit coming out of Little Elm, TX. As such, he received quite a bit of interest including from schools like TCU, Texas Tech and SMU. He eventually chose Colorado State out of almost a dozen scholarship offers, but ended up spending only one season in Fort Collins.
After his 2019 season as a Ram, he decided to enter the transfer portal and this time chose SMU as his destination. Over the next five years, Crossley appeared in 54 games for the Mustangs with 30 starts. Along the way, he was a regular around the football and finished with seven turnovers, 11.5 tackles for loss and 26 pass breakups. He also scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in 2024.
Crossley did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed with the Patriots shortly thereafter.
Scouting report
Strengths: Crossley is a good linear athlete, who covers plenty of ground and can stick to receivers’ hips on vertical routes. He combines his speed with some good ball skills; he has disruptive hands at the catch point and locates the ball well in the air. In general, he is a competitive defensive back who repeatedly punches above his weight and has plenty of impact plays on his résumé. He also is a versatile player, capable of moving all over the secondary or kicking game.
Weaknesses: Straight-line speed aside, Crossely’s overall athleticism is nothing to write home about. He lacks lower-body flexibility to stay with his players through more complicated patterns in man coverage and to react quickly in zone. He also is on the smaller side from a height, length, weight perspective, leading to some issues against bigger receivers or in the tackling department (25-plus percent miss rate in three straight seasons). His turnover numbers over the last four years also are uninspiring.
2024 review
Stats: 14 games (13 starts) | 832 defensive snaps, 163 special teams snaps | 35 tackles, 12 missed tackles (25.5%), 1.5 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery (1 TD) | 63 targets, 30 catches (47.6%), 544 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 8 PBUs | 1 quarterback pressure (1 hurry) | 4 penalties
Season recap: Coming off an injury-shortened 2023 campaign, Crossley took advantage of the NCAA’s special eligibility rules to return to SMU as a graduate student for what was his sixth season in college. The decision did not lead to him getting selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but it gave him an opportunity to showcase himself one last time.
And showcase he did, for better or worse. In the first category fall a competitive performance as a starting outside cornerback for the Mustangs as well as his first career touchdown on a 51-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery against TCU. He additionally registered his sixth career interception in a first-round playoff loss to Penn State.
On the opposite side of the spectrum were four penalties, including one that resulted in an ejection. In the second half of SMU’s season opener against Nevada, Crossley spat on an opposing player and was promptly flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and sent to the locker room.
On the whole, however, the positive did outweigh the negative in Crossley’s final season in college.
2025 preview
Position: Multiple CB | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? Despite gaining plenty of starting experience during his college career, Crossley will have to compete for a depth spot on the Patriots’ cornerback depth chart to start his pro career. He projects as an outside option with the flexibility to move into the slot as well.
What is his growth potential? At 24 and coming off a six-year college career, Crossley might be closer to his ceiling than other rookies on New England’s roster. That does not mean he is a finished product or has no future in the NFL ahead of him. If put in favorable situations as a matchup option, he could very well become a valuable rotational cornerback and possible multi-phase special teamer.
Does he have positional versatility? Crossley played several positions during his college career at Colorado State and SMU, and could be used all over the defensive backfield in the NFL as well. Obviously, there is a clear jump in difficulty between the college and pro level, but he does bring the necessary experience to the table — something that is also true for five special teams units: kickoff return and coverage, punt return and coverage, and field goal/extra point block.
What is his salary cap situation? An undrafted free agent, Crossley has one of the smallest salary cap hits on the Patriots’ roster: $840,333, a number consisting of an $840,000 base salary and fully-guaranteed $333 signing bonus proration. Only the proration is currently counted versus New England’s cap, though, given that the combined figure is not high enough to be among the 51 most expensive deals on the team.
How safe is his roster spot? His contract numbers are a reflection of Crossley’s roster outlook: despite some positive attributes, including the fact that could provide depth at multiple spots on defense and special teams, he finds himself near the bottom of the pecking order heading toward training camp. Obviously, anything can happen once pads come on, but he certainly will have to fight tooth and nail to make the 53-man team.
Summary: Crossley may lack some of the same apparent momentum as other UDFAs at this point in time, but he could find himself in contention for a roster or, more realistically, practice squad spot when all is said and done. The Patriots’ cornerback group at the moment, after all, has only three locks or near-locks at the moment (Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones), creating potential for others to emerge. The odds of Crossley doing so still seem relatively low, but if there is one thing we have learned over the years it is to never bet against undrafted rookie corners in New England’s training camp.
What do you think about Brandon Crossley heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.