Charles Cross leaning on Laremy Tunsil's mentorship during NFL journey
Charles Cross received great praise for his efforts in his rookie season, and his quick and impressive transition to the pros should be of little surprise given the mentoring he has received from a Pro Bowl tackle. Cross, the Seahawks' top pick in the 2022 draft, was in attendance at Laremy Tunsil's youth football camp […]
Charles Cross received great praise for his efforts in his rookie season, and his quick and impressive transition to the pros should be of little surprise given the mentoring he has received from a Pro Bowl tackle.
Cross, the Seahawks' top pick in the 2022 draft, was in attendance at Laremy Tunsil's youth football camp last week.
He and Texans left tackle Tunsil have developed a close friendship and, speaking at the camp, Cross offered effusive praise of the three-time Pro Bowler and his influence.
Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Cross said:
LT has been like a big brother to me these past couple of years. He's definitely someone in my corner that I can reach out to and talk to about anything, really. I feel like my first season went pretty well, had a lot of learning experiences and I’m just planning on continuing to get better and better each week.
Cross excelled largely as a run blocker, with his blown block rate of 1.0% in that area of the game the eighth-best among left tackles with at least 500 snaps, per Sports Info Solutions.
It is in the pass game where he will be looking to make improvements. For as much Cross looked at home pass protecting at left tackle in the pros, he could serve to be much more consistent. Cross' blown block rate in pass protection of 4.8% was the sixth-highest among left tackles.
He would be wise to seek Tunsil's counsel to help him improve in that regard. Tunsil was credited with a blown block rate of 1.9% on pass blocks. Only three tackles, D.J. Humphries, Trent Williams and Andrew Thomas, fared better than Tunsil in that metric.
Cross' numbers aren't quite as strong as some may expect, but that is no reason for panic. In Cross, the Seahawks have a player who exudes maturity and composure and appears ready to use the learning experiences of 2022 to help him make significant strides in 2023.
The continued progress of Cross is critical to the Seahawks' hopes of contending for Super Bowl titles in years to come. That he has somebody of Tunsil's experience in his corner can only be good news.
Coby Bryant expects more aggressive Seahawks defense to take step forward
The starting nickel has high hopes.
Featured Image Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
