Keyron Crawford had just departed the Raiders interview room at the Combine when Raiders assistant general manager Brian Stark turned to general manager John Spytek and unfurled a huge grin.

Then he made a "heart" sign with his hands.

"I love him," Stark said, as captured on episode 1 of this season's "Behind the Shield" series.

"He talks just like he plays, f----ing fast and out of control."

Crawford, who did not play organized football until his senior year of high school in Memphis, began his college career at Arkansas State and turned himself into a third-round draft pick at Auburn, is a case study in perseverance and confidence on the Raiders' reshuffled defensive line.

And Crawford, entering his first training camp as the No. 67 overall pick, just may be the most intriguing part of its future. Especially as he gleans info from an edge rusher room already boasting vets like Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye and Malcolm Koonce.

"It was definitely fascinating," Crawford told me of his pre-draft experience with the Raiders on Upon Further Review. "Just because, I felt like that was the only part of my game that was missing. I felt like not too many people actually knew who I was and how far I actually had to come just to be in the position that I was. So, being able to talk to those guys, it was amazing because they felt the energy as I'm telling them every thing, story by story, timeline, and it was just fascinating.

"I felt the vibe as the conversation was going on and once I realized … I had their energy, they had mine as well."

Nailing a job interview is one thing. Nailing a quarterback is another.

Despite being a relative newbie to the game - he was more of a basketball player before his senior year of high school - Crawford had five sacks at Auburn last fall, with 36 tackles, 9.5 for a loss. Good enough to be third-team All-SEC.

And good enough to garner the attention of Raiders college scouting director Brandon Yeargan at the Senior Bowl.

"Key was a fun process, to kind of get to know him," Yeargan said. "We had a clear view for the player he could be, saw a lot of upside in his rush ability.

"He's got a real chip on his shoulder. And you feel it. You can feel his intensity."

Stark called it a "ruggedness" that the Raiders were looking for in the draft.

So where does that all come from, when it comes to a guy who has only been playing the game since 2021?

"It's definitely a competitiveness because where I grew up, [where] I'm from and what my mom taught me, I just really don't take BS from really anybody," Crawford said with a laugh. "Being able to translate that to a game, where you can do really whatever you want - you might get a flag, but at the end it's in between the lines - you can be able to play relentless, play violent, and just be able to also enjoy and love it with the guys that surround you."

There's also a certain showmanship flair to Crawford, whose mother served in the military, and his game. How can there not be, considering his lineage?

Crawford's late grandfather Eddie Crawford was a professional wrestler who went by "The Snowman" and who had a "feud" with Jerry "The King" Lawler in the Memphis region in the early 1990s.

And, to be sure, it was wrasslin', as any pro wrestling fan will tell you.

"My granddad, he's definitely my hero," Crawford said. "I lost my dad at a young age, around 7 years old, and my granddad has always been there. He's always been a guiding force as a man, and taking us to church every Sunday, all the way to Little Rock.

"It's those stories, it's that person that actually, he's definitely one of the reasons why I play the way I play. I didn't understand back then, as far as being a man and building the foundation of what he was trying to teach us. But looking back on it, it's crazy to see because now you understand what he was actually trying to teach us."

Crawford is not old enough to have seen his hero do work in the squared circle. Alas…

"The wrasslin' stories? It was crazy," he laughed. "I really didn't do that much work in school because I always just Googled my granddad just to watch his old wrasslin' videos. I found that was just fascinating. He did many things."

The Raiders are hoping for, actually, counting on, the younger Crawford to contribute much the same on the football field for years to come.

Yes, the opening bell is about to ring, figuratively and literally.

"I bring the relentlessness, I bring the effort, I bring the passion, but also just being able to explore with the other guys is the main point, the main focus, as far as being a part of the Raiders," he said. "Because we can have every last component, every last bit of energy, but if we're not all connected as one, it doesn't mean anything.

"I'm a part of the Raiders, but I want to be able to actually contribute [so] everybody can feel the energy and the love that I bring towards the game."

Go ahead, make a heart sign with your hands.