Cole Croston, former Patriots offensive lineman, settles into new role as a business banker

Mar 28, 2020

Mason Dockter

Cole Croston stands in the lobby of Pioneer Bank in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. Croston, a former offensive tackle for the New England Patriots now works as a Business Banker for Pioneer Bank, Wednesday, March 4, 2020 | Jesse Brothers, Sioux City Journal

SERGEANT BLUFF -- Cole Croston wants to be known for more than his NFL career.  

The former Iowa Hawkeye and New England Patriots offensive lineman recently started his banking career at Pioneer Bank's location in his hometown of Sergeant Bluff.

While some bankers probably dream of playing in the NFL, for Croston, it's somewhat the reverse. He wants people to know he's now a business banker. 

"Football has kind of defined my life up until the last few months, where all I did, and all I was known for, was playing football," Croston said. "I just don't want football to be, 100 percent Cole Croston. Obviously, it was a part of me in the past. But now I've kind of moved past that." 

Cole Croston talks about his time in the NFL playing for the New England Patriots, Wednesday. He now works at Pioneer Bank in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, March 4, 2020 | Jesse Brothers, Sioux City Journal

Croston, 26, was a prep standout at Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School and went on to Iowa, where he started as an offensive tackle for two years and received honorable mention All-Big Ten honors his senior season

In May 2017, the Patriots signed Croston as a rookie free agent. Against heavy odds, he made the Patriots 53-man roster as a reserve due to his versatility playing both guard and tackle. Inactive for the first nine games of the season, he made his NFL debut in Week 11 in a 33-8 win over the Raiders.

The Patriots made Super Bowl LII that year, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33. Croston was inactive for the 2018 game, as well as Super Bowl LIII, where the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.

His NFL career ended late in 2019, and Croston was back home by January. He said the close of his NFL career was brought on by "a combination of things." 

"I mean, all good things have to come to an end. Struggled through some injuries here and there," he said. "I was just kind of ready to move on from football. They have all these studies out now, and the health aspect of it -- I liked being able to walk away, literally." 

Cole Croston talks about his time in the NFL playing for the New England Patriots, Wednesday. He now works at Pioneer Bank in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, March 4, 2020. | Jesse Brothers, Sioux City Journal

Croston probably could have gone anywhere he wanted after his NFL days were over. He's seen big cities. Yet he chose to move back to Sergeant Bluff. 

"Iowa's always been home for me. The East Coast was quite an experience, different culture, everything over there, and I enjoyed it. But, I'd never really see myself living anywhere but here," he said. 

Why did Croston become a banker? His father, Dave Croston, who was also a starting offensive tackle for Iowa in the mid-1980s and later played for the Green Bay Packers, had a lot to do with it. 

"My dad always kind of pushed me to, he wanted me to be an accountant," the younger Croston said. (Dave Croston works in pharmaceutical sales.)

But while he was a student at the University of Iowa, Cole Croston said he "kind of realized that, maybe accounting wasn't for me." 

"Finance was kind of an alternate path that was something I found enjoyable," he added. 

Three of Croston's football helmets -- one from his days playing for Sergeant Bluff, one from his days at Iowa and one from the Patriots -- decorate his office. The helmets are displayed on a shelf physically behind where Croston sits in his office; he uses the helmets' strategic placement in his office as a metaphor for how he's "moved past" the sport. 

But he doesn't decorate his finger with his Super Bowl ring from Super Bowl LIII. "I've always been a low-key kind of person, and, you know, the ring is the size of my entire hand." 

The Super Bowl ring will probably make its way to Pioneer Bank eventually, but not for showing off: "I'm looking forward to bringing it in here and actually getting it in a safe deposit box, which is probably the best move for me." 

He chose Pioneer Bank because of its "team culture," as he described it. 

"I was kind of looking for, like a team culture, which is tough to find. Kind of like a tight-knit group. I had been to this bank a few times, Pioneer, and I had kind of gotten that feel. And the more I hung around here, the more I just realized that, I fit this mold," he said. "The culture aspect of what Pioneer brings was kind of the same culture aspect that Iowa -- the Iowa Hawkeyes -- brought, the New England Patriots brought." 

He was living with his parents earlier this month, but he recently acquired a house in Sioux City's Whispering Creek neighborhood and was planning to set up house there shortly. 

"Looking forward to moving into that place in about a month here," Croston said.

Could Patriots’ Unheralded, Undrafted Lineman Compete For Left Tackle Job?

NESN

by Doug Kyed on Thu, Mar 29, 2018 at 8:00AM

Photo via Philip G. Pavely/USA TODAY Sports Images

It’s widely assumed the New England Patriots will select an offensive tackle in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, whether they stay at No. 31 overall or trade up.

But what if they can’t swing a deal and the right player isn’t available at No. 31 to replace Nate Solder? Then what?

Would the Patriots reach for a player? Would they trust starting a second- or third-round pick as a rookie? Would they start LaAdrian Waddle at left tackle until the presumed rookie or Tony Garcia, New England’s 2017 third-round pick who missed all of last season with blood clots in his lungs, is ready to go?

There could be another option on the Patriots’ roster: second-year pro Cole Croston, whom New England signed as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa last spring.

He impressed enough in training camp and preseason that the Patriots carried him as an extra offensive lineman for the entire season. They didn’t want to expose Croston to waivers out of fear another team would claim him before he could hit their practice squad.

The Patriots liked Croston more than Conor McDermott, their sixth-round pick out of UCLA, who was waived in September and claimed by the Buffalo Bills.

A former NFL scout told NESN.com after the Patriots’ first preseason game last summer that Croston was a player the Patriots couldn’t risk losing. Croston surrendered just five quarterback pressures in 140 preseason pass-block snaps.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote Sunday “don’t sleep on (Croston) … making a legitimate push for the top spot” at left tackle.

Croston also fits what the Patriots typically look for in a left tackle from a size and athletic perspective. At 6-foot-5 1/2, 307 pounds with 34 5/8-inch arms, Croston ran a 5.29-second 40-yard had with a 1.72-second 10-yard split at his pro day last spring. He was particularly impressive in the 3-cone drill (7.61 seconds) and short shuttle (4.68 seconds). He also recorded a 32.5-inch vertical leap and 8-foot, 7-inch broad jump.

To put those numbers in perspective, recently signed Patriots running back Jeremy Hill ran a 7.64-second 3-cone and 4.59-second short shuttle at his pro day in 2014.

Croston started at left and right tackle at Iowa, and he played guard for the Patriots during the preseason and regular season. So, even if Croston can’t earn a starting spot, he could be a versatile player capable of filling in at multiple positions off the Patriots’ bench.

“He’s a developmental prospect,” Belichick said about Croston on Tuesday. “He has some position versatility. He’s been in a good program. He’s worked hard, improved. Obviously didn’t get any playing time during the season, very little, but we’ll see how it goes this year. He did enough in training camp to make the roster.”

Regardless of what the Patriots do in the draft, Croston could at the very least enter training camp in competition for a starting role. A rookie, even a first-round pick, might not be ready to start from Day 1. Garcia lost 30 pounds on the non-football illness list last season and didn’t play a single preseason or regular-season snap. Andrew Jelks, another 2017 undrafted free agent, practiced briefly last season while on the non-football injury list but didn’t play in any preseason or regular season games. Matt Tobin was a backup offensive tackle on the Seattle Seahawks, who had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, last season. And Waddle was good as a fill-in last season, but he’s primarily played right tackle during his NFL career, isn’t a tremendous athlete and came into the league undrafted himself. He also missed stretches of last season with ankle and knee injuries.

Croston is a name to keep in mind as the Patriots get ready to ramp up their offseason activity next month.

Have a question for Doug Kyed? Send it to him via Twitter at @DougKyed.

Walk-on, Free Agent, Super Bowl Participant

New England Patriots rookie offensive lineman Cole Croston does an interview during Super Bowl LII Media Day on Jan. 29 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Croston was a three-year letterwinner for the University of Iowa from 2014-16. (Photo: Darren Miller)

Cole Croston put his head down and worked hard every step of his journey

By Darren Miller
February 1, 2018

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- When the World Champion New England Patriots scout for talent, they seek three qualities. Undrafted free agent offensive lineman Cole Croston possesses them all.

Croston, 24, a 2017 graduate of the University of Iowa, is listed as second-team left guard for the Patriots, who play Philadelphia on Sunday in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia revealed what he wants in players:

"They have to be smart, they have to be tough, and they have to be athletic enough...in that order," Scarnecchia said Monday at Super Bowl Media Day in the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. "We brought Cole in as a free agent and we love the kid. He has done a nice job. He has been on the varsity the whole year -- hasn't played much, but we feel his time will come in the future."

Croston's story isn't a complete rags-to-riches tale, but nothing was handed to the tall, skinny kid from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. He used his 6-foot, 5-inch frame to average 12 points and nine rebounds in 67 basketball games for Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School. On the football field he was first-team all-district as an offensive lineman and punter.

His college offer list consisted of one small school for basketball and partial scholarships for football at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Croston's father, Dave, lettered in football for the Hawkeyes from 1984-86 and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1987 NFL Draft. One way or another, Cole was following his father's path to Iowa City.

"I decided I was going to go to Iowa and be a student or go to Iowa and play football," Croston said. "Luckily the football part worked out. Coach (Reese) Morgan asked me to walk on and I took it in a heartbeat. I weighed about 220 pounds. It was quite the investment (for the Hawkeyes) and I'm glad he took it."

Croston came to practice with a chip on his shoulder. His path was not unlike that of several walk-ons before him. Croston added weight, muscle, and playing time. He became a two-year starter at offensive tackle and was named third-team All-Big Ten his senior season.

"I have to give a lot of thanks to (strength and conditioning) coach (Chris) Doyle," said Croston, who now weighs 315 pounds. "He put a lot of weight on me and a lot of strength that I needed. Coach Brian Ferentz and coach Kirk Ferentz helped transform me to the player I am now. Brian taught me so many things that I wouldn't have learned without him."

When the 2017 NFL Draft was held from April 27-29, Croston was not among the 253 players selected. When it was time to sign a free agent contract he noticed that players who worked hard stuck around and enjoyed solid careers with New England. He heard that every Patriot -- drafted or not -- was given an equal opportunity.

"You get the feel around here that it doesn't matter if you're a first round or undrafted guy, everyone is going to get their chance to play," Croston said.

He met with Scarnecchia, who put him through a chalk talk session.

"We did test stuff on the board, some things they do at New England, to learn whether I was able to understand that or not," Croston said.

The No. 1 trait the Patriots were looking for was intellect, and Croston was well-prepared after five years in Iowa's program.

There was more. Croston started games at right tackle and left tackle at Iowa and occasionally would get reps at guard during camp. That versatility paid off as a rookie in the NFL.

"They have a saying here: 'The more you can do,'" Croston said. "I was able to show that I could play multiple positions and I was able to take things from the classroom onto the field and they appreciated that."

Croston spent the entire season on New England's 53-player roster. His first action came Nov. 19 during a 33-8 victory over the Raiders in Mexico City.

As a youngster, Croston spent Super Sundays with family at the home of his uncle or grandparents. Many of his family will spend Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, watching Croston and the Patriots perform on football's biggest stage.

"I wasn't sure if I was even going to make the team," Croston said. "I was able to grind it out and earn a roster spot. Throughout the season, we put our heads down, went to work and had a pretty good record. We won a couple (playoff) games and now we're in the Super Bowl."

Croston won't be the only Hawkeye-turned-Patriot at Sunday's Super Bowl. Offensive lineman James Ferentz and wide receiver Riley McCarron are also in the Twin Cities as members of New England's practice squad.

Sergeant Bluff native Croston's latest stop is Super Bowl

By Jeff Budlong
February 1, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS -- At what point does the underdog label no longer fit?

Cole Croston has worked hard to answer that question because every other one that has been thrown his way since graduating from Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School has been handled in an emphatic way.

First, he was too small and not talented enough to stick with the Iowa football program as a walk-on. Then it was the doubts about his ability to hold up against Big Ten defensive linemen once he did get on the field and eventually started games at left tackle. After his name was not called in the 2017 NFL Draft, Croston took a chance and signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots.

That is a very good story. Undersized son of a former Hawkeye and NFL player proves the doubters wrong before getting a shot at an NFL training camp and moving on to whatever his life’s work will be after his brush with professional football.

Except, Croston kept impressing coaches and when the big cutdown day came his phone rang, but not to tell him to bring his playbook to hand in. No, he was getting ready for the regular season. He was a member of the most dominant team of the last two decades.

Now he is heading to the Super Bowl Sunday with the Patriots and if that is surprising just go back and read the last three paragraphs.

“At the start of the season my goal was just to make the team and I was able to accomplish that,” he said. “I just kind of put my head down through the season and you look up and here we are at the Super Bowl. It is nice to be one of the last two teams playing.”

The 24-year-old believes he remained on the Patriots roster because of that thing that separates most multi-sport athletes – versatility.

“My ability to play guard and tackle on both sides,” he said. “I was actually taking some snaps at center as well, so I would say the No. 1 thing is being versatile and being able to do multiple positions.”

"He is very athletic and what is hard to find is someone who is 6-foot-5, 315 pounds and is very athletic," said Croston's father Dave, who played for the Green Bay Packers. "That is why there are so few guys that can play offensive line at that level."

Croston said he quickly learned that football was now his job as a first-year pro and has focused all season on ways to improve during and after every practice.

"You hear 'do your job' all over the place and that is really all they want you to do," he said. "If all 11 players do their job on the field the play should be successful.

"It has been a total pleasure to work with (offensive line coach) Dante Scarnecchia. He is a total expert at his craft, he has been doing this for 40 or 50 years, and what is great is we have formed respect for everyone on the line and I think it has brought the unit together."

For many rookies, the first NFL season can be a challenging one.

"He has been in Foxborough since May most of the time working out, the rookies are there every day basically, we are talking six months," Dave said. "My advice to him when we talked was the old cliche take it one day at a time and it is really true. It is a grind."

Croston's week became about routine beginning with light work and lifting along with film work and study on Monday. Tuesday was an off day followed by a pads day on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are more field and film work with Saturday set for final preparation before a Sunday game.

Croston put that time to good use twice being named practice player of the week and appearing in three games -- eight total snaps -- late in the season.

"There is no guarantees in the NFL but if you are helping your team with your practice ... that shows contribution, and at that level you don't get a lot of feedback," Dave Croston said. "They don't tell you 'hey, good job' because it is expected, but one of the things I told him is your feedback is that you are there."

"Sometimes the naysayers are at the back of your mind, but at the same time I am just pushing myself to get to that next step for me," Cole Croston said. "I was able to do that earlier in my career and I have been truly lucky not to get caught up along the way, and so far we are still moving up.

"I am just trying to be realistic knowing it isn't going to last forever and take it one day at a time. It is a blessing to be in the position I am in now."

Croston and the rest of the Patriots arrived in Minnesota's Twin Cities on Monday to prepare for Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Whether Croston will dress for the game likely will not be known until closer to game time.

"I didn't even know the Super Bowl was in Minneapolis until the last couple of games we were playing," he said. "It is pretty cool to be three, four hours from home playing the in the Super Bowl. Being in that position now is an incredible blessing."

Croston said his parents, two brothers and both sets of grandparents are set to be in the stands at U.S. Bank Stadium to take in the biggest game of the season.

"It is going to be a little surreal, I didn't really expect to go to a Super Bowl," Dave Croston said. "I am going to go and take it all in. The good news is most of the family is going and it could be a once-in-a-lifetime. Hopefully not but you never know.

"I have always felt that athletically Cole is a better athlete than I was and I made it to (the NFL). It is very fulfilling to watch him do this."

With Cole Croston in the Super Bowl, it marks the second time in three seasons a Siouxland football player has been on one of the final two teams playing in a season. Two years ago, former Bishop Heelan High School and Morningside College standout Brandon Wegher was part of a Carolina Panthers team that fell to the Denver Broncos.

It is a feeling Croston knows will last.

"It is going to an incredible feeling whether I am suited up or not," he said. "Being able to step on that field with the New England Patriots who are playing for the Super Bowl against a spectacular NFC team is going to stick with me forever."

Iowa tackle Cole Croston added 90 pounds, started 18 games and now seeks NFL employment

By Scott Dochterman

April 5, 2017

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Cole Croston arrived at Iowa five years ago as a lanky, 225-pound walk-on legacy.

It took time for Cole Croston to earn snaps at offensive tackle, but once he did, he made the most of it. Croston shifted into the starting lineup because of injuries and he opened 10 games in 2015. Last year, he was limited to just eight starts because of a leg injury but was named third-team all-Big Ten.

With 18 career starts at an offensive line factory such as Iowa, it appears Croston will have his NFL opportunity. But, like his journey from lightweight walk-on to 315-pound starter, Croston will have to fight uphill on his way to the NFL.

“I got here and I was 225 pounds and it was like I was a million miles down the road,” Croston said. “Being able to gain 90 pounds, being 315 now, at that point the goal was to become a starter, and I was able to do that. Then from there to work up, have a pro day. I was hoping to get invited to the combine; it didn’t work out. I was able to perform at the pro day where tons of scouts are out there watching. It’s just been a dream come true.”

Croston’s pro-day numbers suggest he has pro potential if he can add strength. Even at his weight, he jumped 32.5 vertically, which would have topped all offensive linemen at last month’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis. His 3-cone drill time of 7.38 seconds would have ranked third. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.21 seconds, which was in the top 15. His 17 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench was near the bottom, but Croston quipped, “I’ve got long arms, a long ways to go."



NFL scouts rank Croston in the borderland between late-round prospect and priority free agent. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote, “Has good frame and above average length. Plays with desired hand strength. Can snatch the frame of defender and sustain his block with hand strength and body control. … Zone block specialist. Comes out of stance and gets into lateral movement quickly.”

As for Croston’s weaknesses, Zierlein wrote, “Has no butt and anchor is wishy-washy. Spins wheels as drive blocker. Falls off of blocks when he becomes too dependent on leaning to create drive.”

Dan Shonka, national scout and general manager for Ourlads Scouting Services, ranks Croston as his 23rd available tackle.

Croston’s five seasons in Iowa’s pro-style, zone-blocking scheme should benefit him. He also is willing to slide inside at guard or even center. His path to playing time could be similar to former Iowa tackles Riley Reiff and Andrew Donnal, who initially saw snaps as blocking tight ends.

Croston could join his father, Dave, as an NFL draft pick. Dave Croston, a first-team all-Big Ten tackle in 1986, was a third-round selection of the Green Bay Packers in 1987.

Mostly, Cole Croston just looks for a shot with an NFL club. He already has graduated and continues to train in Iowa City. Teams have shown interest in him, and he’ll likely make visits in the next few weeks.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Croston said. “If it doesn’t work out, I have a finance degree from the University of Iowa, which is a great degree. If it doesn’t work out for football, I should get a job somewhere.

“When draft day comes around either it happens, or it doesn’t and you get picked up. That’s the goal: an opportunity.”