Cross was born on November 25, 2000, and grew up in Laurel, Mississippi, where he attended Laurel High School. Cross initially committed to play college football at Florida State.[1] Cross decommitted from Florida State during his senior season in favor of signing with Mississippi State.[2][3] He played in the 2018 All-American Bowl as a senior.[4]
College career
Cross redshirted his true freshman season at Mississippi State after appearing in three games.[5] He was named the Bulldogs' starting left tackle going into his redshirt freshman season.[6] Cross started 10 games and was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team at the end of the season.[7] Cross entered his redshirt sophomore season as one of the top offensive tackle prospects for the 2022 NFL draft and was a preseason second-team All-SEC selection.[8][9] He declared for the 2022 NFL draft following the season.[10]
Cross was drafted ninth overall in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2022 NFL draft.[13] The Seahawks used the first-round selection that was acquired in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Acting as his own agent, Cross signed his four-year rookie contract with the team on June 2, 2022.[14] As a rookie, Cross appeared in and started all 17 regular season games and one playoff game for the Seahawks in the 2022 season.[15] In the 2023 season, he appeared in and started 14 games.[16]