Max Crosby reached out to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the reckless Raiders took a loss in combined practices Thursday. The 49ers, like 30 others, could have made Crosby out of Eastern Michigan in 2019.
But the 49ers, like every other team, passed Crosby several times before the Raiders selected him in the fourth round. San Francisco has a good explanation: They used a first-round pick on rookie Nick Bosa, who was a defensive starter last season. The 49ers drafted Debo Samuel in the second round that year, but used a third-round pick over Jalen Hurd, who had never played in a regular season game.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has at least one regret about the way the team treated Crosby during the pre-draft process when defensive line coach Kris Kokorek got a little aggressive in questioning Crosby.
“We were kind of fools him Shanahan said Thursday, via Adam Hill of Las Vegas Journal Review. “So it’s great to catch up.”
Shanahan explained that Crosby’s interview was one of the first with the 49ers to Cukoric, who wanted to see how prospects would respond to the confrontation. General manager John Lynch touched Kokorec’s leg at one point to signal him to call her back.
“But Max was studded,” Shanahan said. “He didn’t care at all. He didn’t hesitate and dealt with it like a person could.”
Crosby hasn’t forgotten the interview because he bears “every little scar” and keeps “everything noticeable”.
“I feel like every team I’ve met didn’t take me seriously,” Crosby said. “I could name every damn team if I wanted to, but I’m not going to do that.”