The Washington Commanders may have found their biggest steal in the 2025 NFL Draft from an unconventional place
The journey of former Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been a fascinating one. The talented runner managed to average 106 yards rushing and a touchdown per game in 2024, his lone season with the Wildcats. The only issue, and the reason he has gone so far under the radar, is that Croskey-Merritt only played […]
The journey of former Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been a fascinating one. The talented runner managed to average 106 yards rushing and a touchdown per game in 2024, his lone season with the Wildcats. The only issue, and the reason he has gone so far under the radar, is that Croskey-Merritt only played in one football last season.
Originally a four-year member of the Alabama State program, Croskey-Merritt spent the 2023 season with New Mexico. In 12 games that season, he rushed for 1,190 yards, 17 rushing touchdowns, and averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Croskey-Merritt used his breakout season and tested the transfer portal waters during the subsequent offseason and generated a ton of interest from various programs across college football.
The Alabama native spent some time committed to Ole Miss before eventually switching back to Arizona. Expectations were high for Croskey-Merritt, and he started the 2024 season on a very strong note. Against his former team, New Mexico, he managed to go over 100 yards while averaging a stellar 8.2 yards per carry. It felt like that was going to be the first stepping stone to a ton of success.
Unfortunately, that was the first -and last- game Croskey-Merritt played for the Wildcats. Due to an eligibility issue, Croskey-Merritt missed the remainder of the season even after several appeal attempts. That caused him to go into the 2025 NFL Draft process a bit blind, but still managed to take advantage of what he could control to the best of his ability. That included a stellar performance at the East-West Shrine Bowl, an MVP honor at the event, and impressive testing at his Pro Day.
Even with that solid draft process, some were still left wondering exactly where the NFL would value Croskey-Merritt. Would he be drafted late or sign to a team as an undrafted free agent? That was the question, and we slowly found out that the former would be the path.
Croskey-Merritt was drafted by the Washington Commanders with the No. 245 overall selection in the seventh round, making sure he wasn’t a player who hit the undrafted market with the demand he would bring. Now that he is a Commander, Croskey-Merritt brings a lot of intrigue for how he potentially fits on the roster. The reason for that is the talent he brings to the table, as well as the opportunity.
The 5-10, 206-pound runner is a perfect fit in the modern NFL. He possesses some outstanding spatial awareness, notable vision, and explosive cuts to make defenders miss in very tight spaces. Croskey-Merritt is one of the more natural runners in the entire 2025 class.
It’s been a bit of a weird journey for Croskey-Merritt but the only things that matters is he is here. He walks into a Commanders running back room that is quality, but certainly isn’t insurmountable. The first challenge for Croskey-Merritt is going to be trying to unseat Jeremy McNichols as the third running back on the roster. That will involve attention to detail as a pass blocker, and more overall proof that he can affect passing downs. McNichols is also a valued special-teamer, so Croskey-Merritt has to check that box to an extent.
The top two running backs on the team are Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler. Featured as the lead back in the room, Robinson hasn’t been the most efficient runner in the world during his career so far and he had trouble staying healthy in 2024. Ekeler, in comparison, is a much more efficient player but his impact comes more on passing downs. You aren’t going to feature him much as an early down runner due to size and play style.
If I was a betting man, I wouldn’t necessarily place a wager for Croskey-Merritt to carve out a huge role as a rookie in 2025. If he is able to earn a roster spot, however, I’d argue his future is very bright. It wouldn’t be overly shocking to see Croskey-Merritt to eventually play a very important role in the Commanders backfield, and become one of the biggest values in the 2025 class.
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