Nick Cross

Washington CommandersUNDERPAID

Pos S

Updated October 8, 2026

Compare Nick Cross S rankings →

Model Score

85.8 MODEL

2023

76.4

2024

90.7

2025

87.7

2026

85.8

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

2023 tier 2 (#13) STTM peak plus 2025 tier 6 (#45) regression confirms the structural ceiling is highly team-fit and scheme dependent. The Maryland Big Ten 3rd-round origin plus four years of Colts system experience give him real career foundation. The 2026 question is whether Cross returns to tier 3-4 territory or whether the structural late-prime decline reasserts.

Cross came out of Maryland as the Indianapolis Colts' 3rd-round pick (96th overall) in 2022. He has anchored the Colts' safety rotation across four seasons. His STTM career runs tier 2 (#13) in 2023, tier 3 (#21) in 2024, and tier 6 (#45) in 2025.

Strengths

2023 tier 2 (#13) STTM peak as a 96th overall 3rd-round pick puts him in the rare outlier-positive S developmental class.
Maryland Big Ten 3rd-round origin plus four years of Colts system experience gives him real career foundation.

Concerns

32-spot regression from tier 2 (#13) in 2023 to tier 6 (#45) in 2025 confirms the structural mid-career decline is real.
Indianapolis's broader defensive identity around the multi-year offensive instability compresses the structural support around Cross.

What to watch: Whether Cross returns to tier 4 (top 30) in 2026, the threshold for confirming the 2023 ceiling can be recaptured.