Football runs deep in the Gruden family, and Jon Gruden may have the biggest love for the sport of anyone. After serving as an NFL head coach for 15 seasons and capturing a Super Bowl title, Gruden stepped away from the game in 2021 after a stint with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, nearly four years later, Gruden is back in the spotlight as one of the brightest personalities at Barstool Sports and has made it clear that he would love to coach again someday.
Advertisement
However, for now, he’s been breaking down the NFL draft at a high volume. While he’s highlighted teams like the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens for having great drafts and named several of his top sleeper picks, he was recently asked during an appearance on Pardon My Take” if he has a favorite NFL draft pick from his coaching career. Gruden shared a few names, while also emphasizing that he loved every single one of his picks.
“I loved all my draft picks,” Gruden said. “I had some players who didn’t perform as expected and got labeled as busts, but I’m convinced that if I were still coaching, they wouldn’t have been busts. Selfishly, that’s the mindset I have.”
He went on to add, “I mean, I love Maxx Crosby—that’s an easy one to say. Hunter Renfrow was also one of my favorite draft picks.”
While Hunter Renfrow was a standout talent at Clemson under head coach Dabo Swinney, the Raiders still took a chance on him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Interestingly, that same year, Gruden also selected Maxx Crosby, who had been dominating at Eastern Michigan. Crosby, taken in the fourth round, was a pick Gruden saw immense upside in.
Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach and current Barstool Sports analyst Jon Gruden.Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
Both players were day three picks in 2019, and while Crosby has since become one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, Renfrow recently rejoined the league with the Carolina Panthers after a year away from football, following his release from the Raiders in 2024.
Related: Jon Gruden Reveals His ‘Sleeper’ From the 2025 NFL Draft Without Hesitation