By : Matt Bressington of Europe's Elite 

The competition in the German Football Leagues is arguably the one of the fiercest outside of North America, because of this the younger players are straight away put into the line of fire, and those that thrive carve out the best careers. As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. One of these athletes is German Wideout David Crawford, who may be one of the most underrated players in Europe. Since he was 13, he’s been putting in production for his hometown Paderborn Dolphins, now at 6’4 187lbs the experience has met his natural athletic abilities and he’s proving himself to be a rising star.

Having won two Junior Bowls and played the Austrian national team he’s proved everything at the youth level. David has now recently transferred to Cologne Crocodiles and he feels he can get better after every practice and make an impact as early as possible.

Let’s get into the meat of the film, the patience David shows to allow his routes to fully develop is extremely impressive, he doesn’t rush the movements or try to make everything too dramatic. He simply glides smoothly through the full motion of his play and makes the open catch with 3-8 yards of free reel estate. While on the topic of his ball-playing ability, his willingness to layout and go for the overthrown ball is admirable.

Regardless of opposing coverage or an incoming hit he finds a way to contort his body to make the needed play. However, he isn’t utilized only as a deep threat, put the ball in his hands and he can easily gain more yardage using his acceleration and a pretty nasty stiff-arm that he’s become accustomed to using along the side-line for some extra steps. One of the deadliest elements of his game is his footwork, I believe this is what makes him stand out above the rest of the young players around Europe, as mentioned before he is patinate but the fluidity and burst he exhibits with his Out and Comeback routes is certainly elite.

Using this, he finds the gaps in the defensive’s coverage and applies the dagger himself with crisp jukes to the outside or the inside to break through the secondary. Subsequently, I was very intrigued by his mentality, he’s a hyper-competitive man through all aspect of his life, including football. This translates well for coaches in the European game as well as possible NCAA teams if he chooses to pursue that avenue.

In conclusion, David Crawford is an unbelievably balanced wide receiver, catching balls on every route combination and all targets thrown towards him. As the newest weapon to an already stacked Crocodiles team, its very possible he will add to his silverware when the GFL resumes action and I passionately believe that he will impact the team the way he sets out to.

The ideal coach’s player to have in the locker room as well as the field, because of his love of the game and competitive edge. It’s because of these mental and physical factors that he will undoubtedly be considered a top receiver in Europe when he finds his prime, and what a pleasure it’ll be to watch it unfold.

ELITE ATHLETES. ELITE TEAMS. ELITE STORIES