Dolphins fly in three more draft prospects, including a running back with a past mystery

Miami Herald

16-04-2025

Two highly productive running backs and a disruptive defensive tackle were among the final batch of prospects that took predraft visits to Dolphins headquarters this week before Thursday's NFL cut-off for such meetings.
Washington defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon and Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt all were flown to Miami to meet with Dolphins coaches and executives this week, according to three sources.
Gordon ran for 880 yards last season (4.6 per carry) and scored 13 touchdowns, one year after he led FBS with 21 rushing touchdowns. He averaged a robust 5.4 yards per carry in three college seasons. His one blemish was an August 2024 arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein projects the 6-1, 226-pound Gordon to go in the fifth round and said he's a 'big-workload back with a skill set that requires a physical, downhill run scheme. Gordon is tight-hipped and forced to run linear tracks. He plays with adequate decisiveness and interior vision but lacks the agility to cut sharply or slip tackles in tight quarters.
'When he gets going downhill he becomes a battering ram, slamming through tackles and adding tough yards after contact. He's good in the screen game and could improve his protection in time. His 2024 production fell off through no fault of his own. Gordon is big and physical and could attract Day 2 attention from teams looking to add a bruiser to a two-back system.'
Croskey-Merritt averaged 6.4 yards per rush with 18 TDs on 202 FCS carries for New Mexico and Arizona. He spent his first four years at Alabama State, rushing for 1164 yards and 13 touchdowns, then spent one year at New Mexico, where he averaged 6.3 yards on 189 carries, with 17 TDs.
Croskey-Merritt originally transferred to play for Arizona last offseason, later flipped to Mississippi, then changed his mind again and recommitted to Arizona, where he played in one game (against his former team, New Mexico) and ran for 106 yards on 13 carries.
But Arizona then made him ineligible for the final 11 games as a precautionary move because of concern that the NCAA might determine that he had used up his college eligibility.
The eligibility questions stemmed from a mystery about whether Croskey-Merritt redshirted at Alabama State in 2019. ESPN stats show Croskey-Merritt playing in eight games for Alabama State in 2019. But Alabama State said that Croskey-Merritt played in only four games that year, which would have allowed him to redshirt and play last season at Arizona.
Croskey-Merritt reportedly switched numbers with another running back at Alabama State, which caused some confusion about how many games he actually played. Alabama State insists he played only four games that season, but Arizona wanted to take no chances.
Croskey-Merritt was named MVP of the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl, where he rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
As for the 304-pound Valdez, he had 49 tackles and two sacks in his only season at Washington. He played three seasons (2021-23) at Montana State, earning first-team All-Big Sky honors in 2022, and second-team All-Big Sky in 2023, when he had five sacks. He could be drafted on Day 3 or be a priority undrafted free agent.
Teams can bring as many as 30 non-local prospects to their headquarters for meetings and medical testing.
Among other players who took 30 visits to the Dolphins: UCF cornerback BJ Adams, Washington State receiver Kyle Williams, Elon receiver Chandler Brayboy, Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, Rutgers defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton, South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. and Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins, who's a possibility for Miami's second-round pick at 48.
During Chris Grier's regime as general manager, the Dolphins have drafted some players who took 30 visits to Miami Gardens and some who did not. Though the Dolphins don't use 30 visits as smokescreens, there are some cases where the team simply wants to learn more information about a player or do medical testing on a past injury.