A late bloomer who didn't play football until his senior year of high school, then rose to a third-round pick after transferring from Arkansas State to Auburn.
Keyron Crawford took an unlikely path to the NFL, picking up football only as a high school senior before starring at Arkansas State and then Auburn. The Memphis native was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft after earning All-SEC honors in his final college season.
Path to the league
Crawford played basketball for most of high school at Raleigh-Egypt High School in Memphis before transferring to Briarcrest Christian School and picking up football for the first time as a senior, earning regional defensive MVP honors with 78 tackles and 14 sacks in that single season. He began his college career at Arkansas State before transferring to Auburn in 2024. The Raiders selected him with the No. 67 overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Crawford broke out as a sophomore at Arkansas State in 2023, starting all 13 games at defensive end with 44 tackles and 5.5 sacks. After transferring to Auburn, he developed into a full-time starter by his senior season in 2025, earning Third Team All-SEC honors while playing along Auburn's defensive front.
2025 season recap
In his final season at Auburn, Crawford started all 12 games and recorded 36 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, earning Third Team All-SEC honors before being drafted by the Raiders.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Keyron Crawford
- Raiders.com: Keyron Crawford
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Auburn
- Hometown
- Memphis, TN, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
