Xavier Crawford selected by Houston Texans in sixth round of 2019 NFL Draft
Junior defensive back Xavier Crawford sits in on a huddle on Oct. 20 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Xavier Crawford is headed to Houston.
With the No. 195 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Crawford was selected by the Houston Texans.
Now that the cornerback has been picked in the sixth round, the cornerback is expected to join post-draft rookie minicamp with the Texans in early May.
Crawford is the second player from Central Michigan to be selected in the draft, as fellow cornerback Sean Bunting went No. 39 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 27.
While Bunting stuck with CMU throughout his college years, Crawford's route was a bit different as a graduate transfer from Oregon State for the 2018 season. He came to the Chippewas after finishing his undergraduate degree in three years.
Both Bunting and Crawford gave up their final year of eligibility to enter the draft, and the pair were on the First Team All-Mid-American Conference defensive group for their performances last campaign.
Crawford took a redshirt in his first year at Oregon State and immediately found the field in 2016 as a redshirt freshman. He logged 70 tackles, two tackles for a loss, one sack, 10 passes defended and one forced fumble.
In 2017, he registered 17 tackles and two passes defended in five games before going down with a season-ending back injury. Then, Crawford made the move to Mount Pleasant.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound defensive back posted 24 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one interception, 12 passes defended and two fumble recoveries for the Chippewas. Crawford ranked No. 1 in the MAC for his 12 passes defended.
While Bunting and Crawford have found their future through the draft, a few other Chippewas are expected to be picked up as undrafted free agents. Those players should begin to emerge on Saturday evening after the final round is complete.
