Latest news with #Croskey-Merritt
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Commanders' rookie receives prestigious honor from his hometown
Jacory Croskey-Merritt has yet to play in an NFL game, but recently received a prestigious honor. A seventh-round pick of the Washington Commanders in the 2025 NFL draft, Croskey-Merritt was recently honored by his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. The Montgomery City Council announced at Monday's meeting that May 8 would be "Jacory Croskey-Merritt Day." Croskey-Merritt grew up in Montgomery playing sports. After receiving little attention from colleges, he began his college career at Alabama State. To enhance his chances at the NFL, Croskey-Merritt transferred to New Mexico, where he enjoyed a terrific 2023 season, rushing for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt decided to make one more jump, this time to the Arizona Wildcats. Advertisement Croskey-Merritt began his Arizona career in a big way, rushing for 106 yards on 13 carries and scoring one touchdown in the season opener. Unfortunately, a quirky eligibility issue hung over his head for the remainder of the 2024 season, and he did not play again. Thankfully, Croskey-Merritt was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he was named offensive MVP. The Commanders loved what they saw on tape from Croskey-Merritt, and many analysts believe he could prove to be a draft steal. In addition to his potential on the field, Washington appreciated how Croskey-Merritt remained with his team all season, supporting them rather than just walking away when he could have. 'This is something I wanted, to go pro in and not just watching guys on TV," Croskey-Merritt told WAKA Action 8 News. "I'm like, 'Man, that could be me one day.' So like ever since I was young, this just always has been my goal." Congratulations to Croskey-Merritt. Advertisement Next up for the running back is the rookie minicamp this weekend in Ashburn. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' rookie earns prestigious honor
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Commanders Late Pick Labeled Draft Steal
Jacory Croskey-Merritt was one of the more underrated players coming out of the 2025 Draft. He played in just one game last season but has the intangibles to be an immediate impact help on the Washington Commanders. As a seventh-round pick, the odds of Croskey-Merritt providing an impact are low at this point. Advertisement But not impossible. and deputy editor, written content, Gennaro Filice, believes the Arizona running back could be in line for a huge career with the Commanders, and it all may start in his rookie year. "Croskey-Merritt's one of the biggest wild cards in this draft class, as NCAA eligibility issues limited him to one game last season for Arizona (13 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against New Mexico)," Filice wrote. "He popped back up in the East-West Shrine Bowl, earning Offensive MVP honors after rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. JCM's a deep sleeper as the 245th overall pick, but he's an interesting prospect to follow, nonetheless." In a locker room with Ekeler and Robinson already established, playing time will be sparse for Croskey-Merritt to begin his career. Advertisement Both are on expiring deals, though. If Croskey-Merritt can prove he can be competent going into the 2025 season, despite his lack of touches in college, the Commanders may have found a diamond in the rough that they can trust moving ahead. And it would fundamentally change the team's draft going forward. Related: Commanders Trade for WR Projected To Produce Fantasy Stats Related: Jayden's Commanders Predicted To Surprise With 2 Rookie Starters
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Commanders depth chart analysis: How did the NFL Draft help shape the roster?
The monthslong obsession with free agency and the NFL Draft was about how the Washington Commanders' decision-makers would bolster the roster. Let's review how general manager Adam Peters and his staff performed and tackle any remaining questions ahead of the offseason on-field program. Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota Others: Josh Johnson, Sam Hartman Advertisement The intrigue: Signing Johnson, a soon-to-be 39-year-old journeyman, didn't reshape the NFC title chase or become a weekly topic locally. Yet the reason for the depth addition illustrates how Washington factored in available free agents into its draft plan. We knew Washington wasn't in the first-round conversation here because of the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Re-signing Mariota meant no need for an aggressive QB2 selection in Rounds 2-4. The Commanders could skip drafting one altogether if they accepted Hartman, a 2024 undrafted free-agent signing and beer-chugging hero, as the likely third-stringer. With a standard draft of seven picks or a surplus like last year's nine, maybe a Day 3 quarterback is picked with an eye toward grooming Daniels' future primary backup. Instead, the staff went proactive by signing Johnson, the definition of a short-term player after being part of 14 teams (Washington twice) ahead of a potential 18th season. With only five picks, Washington didn't pretend that any 'best on our board' pretense mattered. Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt Others: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Wiley, Kazmeir Allen, Demetric Felton The intrigue: Pick No. 245 was the final chance for a running back addition before the central part of the offseason closed. Retaining last year's top trio would be fine — unless Washington emphasized adding a potentially big-play element. The scouting department conducted this process throughout the pre-draft cycle, following a decent but inconsistent ground game the previous season, yet bypassed possible candidates until the final round. Croskey-Merritt showed a spark when he scored 17 rushing touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards on 189 carries in 2023 for New Mexico. The transfer only played one game for Arizona last season due to confusion over his eligibility. There won't be seismic expectations attached to the forceful runner with an enticing one-cut burst. Finding a niche that lands Croskey-Merritt on the Week 1 53-player roster is a good start. Advertisement Weaving the projected fifth-round pick by The Athletic's Dane Brugler into the rotation would be a fun outcome, especially since Robinson, Ekeler and McNichols are 2026 free agents. For this season, chunk plays will once again primarily come from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's scheming and Deebo Samuel's cameo appearances, rather than relying on individual athletic strengths. Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane Others: Michael Gallup, K.J. Osborn, Chris Moore, Lawrence Cager, Mike Strachan The intrigue: Don't consider Lane a reflection of how the staff views McCaffrey. However, there is now another mid-round pick who will compete with the 2024 third-rounder for snaps behind McLaurin, Samuel and Brown. Lane, the incoming fourth-round pick, is a needed adrenaline rush for an offense lacking speed. The receiver who ran a 4.34 40-yard time at the combine was primarily a slot threat at Virginia Tech, where the goal was to get the ball to Lane quickly off the snap. McCaffrey is a taller, more versatile target who often seemed on the verge of a breakout pass-catching performance that never materialized. Drafting Lane shrinks the possibility of both Gallup and Osborn on the 53-man roster or re-signing receiver/returner Jamison Crowder, unless the Commanders keep seven receivers. Zach Ertz, John Bates, Ben Sinnott Others: Colson Yankoff, Cole Turner, Tyree Jackson The intrigue: The stand-pat position. Ertz and Bates re-signed, thus maintaining Washington's top pass catcher and blocker at tight end. Sinnott showing development in either capacity goes a long way toward how the staff feels about the 2026 plan. Yankoff remains a fun coaching project. Laremy Tunsil, Josh Conerly Jr., Brandon Coleman, Andrew Wylie Others: Foster Sarell, Anim Dankwah, Bobby Hart Advertisement The intrigue: This is where high-IQ teams look to improve. Investment payoffs benefit the entire offense, and the Commanders spent significantly on the tackle position. Three draft picks, including a 2026 second and fourth, went to the Houston Texans for one of the league's elite (and highest-paid) pass blockers, Tunsil, before Washington used its first-rounder this year on Conerly. This supplies the primary wave of protection against NFC East pass rushers, including Micah Parsons, Nolan Smith, Brian Burns and No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter. Conerly impressively tangled with his fellow Big Ten rookie last season. The athletic 311-pound Conerly won't be handed the right tackle job. Still, the two-year left tackle starter at Oregon would have to endure a rough transition from college to pro and the left to right side, where he has minimal experience, for Coleman or Wylie to start. Guards: Sam Cosmi, Nick Allegretti Center: Tyler Biadasz Others: Trent Scott, Nate Herbig, Chris Paul, Michael Deiter, Julian Good-Jones The intrigue: Not only are last season's starting tackles unlikely to hold that distinction in 2025, but there's a strong chance Coleman and Wylie land in the guard mix either as: 1) the right guard fill-in until Cosmi's return from ACL surgery, 2) competition for Allegretti at left guard or 3) depth options. The second scenario is the logical one for Coleman. If he's going to take his power-packed frame inside, take it where he would likely land for more than a single season, rather than switching positions for a third time. No player had a rougher offseason than Wylie in terms of depth chart changes. The two-year starter at right tackle may play inside following those two significant tackle acquisitions. Wylie could become part of the right tackle battle while also vying for the temporary right guard position with Herbig and Allegretti should Coleman excel at left guard. Scott's emergency playoff duty at guard displayed his versatility. That Herbig has a real shot at supplanting Deiter as the backup center is another indication that the Commanders' offensive line depth is improved. Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise Jr., Clelin Ferrell, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Jacob Martin, Jalyn Holmes Others: Andre Jones Jr., Viliami Fehoko Jr. Advertisement These names were on the roster before the draft. That nobody else joined the list in the draft is surprising considering the group's lack of youth and athletic upside. Washington choosing Conerly over edge defender Donovan Ezeiruaku and others in the first round is readily justifiable, but Washington kept on grabbing help at other positions. Not intentionally, but assistant general manager Lance Newmark commented, 'Every time we got to where we were picking, these players made the most sense for us. It wasn't that we weren't going to address edge at any point.' Newmark acknowledged that Washington could supplement the defensive end room in the secondary free-agent market. Veterans Za'Darius Smith, Von Miller and Matthew Judon are among the recognizable names available. None of those graybeards help with the youth angle and, other than Smith (nine sacks in 2024), might not automatically get usual starter snaps at this stage of their careers. The overall room is passable for the regular season. The postseason, when each opponent likely has a sharp quarterback, might be another story. Daron Payne, Johnny Newton, Javon Kinlaw, Eddie Goldman, Sheldon Day Others: Norell Pollard The intrigue: Another example of how the Commanders attacked free agency to ensure they weren't hungry for interior linemen in the draft. However, there is an opportunity cost, as defensive tackles and ends were among the deepest position groups in the 2025 class, and Washington chose not to select either. At least the tackle room has Newton's disruptive upside, and the possibility that Payne saw Jonathan Allen's salary-cap-related release as a sign of his future without a more impactful season. Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, Jordan Magee, Kain Medrano Others: Dominique Hampton The intrigue: Luvu remains the Commanders' primary edge rusher. That's more than acceptable, but questions about his help led to the free-agent conversation in the defensive end section. Wagner still scores high in instincts and leadership, but the future Hall of Famer needs greater interference from the linemen in the run game to offset his declining speed. Advertisement Injuries derailed Magee's rookie season, so the potential Wagner succession plan is a bonus. Finding ways to utilize Medrano's speed and instincts beyond special teams is required, while Hampton has a one-year professional head start on his fellow nickel linebacker. Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Jonathan Jones, Trey Amos, Noah Igbinoghene Others: Kevon Seymour, Bobby Price, Allan George Choosing Amos provided defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. with a press corner with good size on the outside. If the second-round pick by Washington starts opposite Lattimore, then Sainristil moves to the slot. The savvy second-year corner will start somewhere. Yet Jones' experience and toughness thrust him into the starting mix inside or outside. Igbinoghene would have a chance to remain the slot starter if Sainristil stays on the outside. These are good problems to have. Quan Martin, Will Harris, Percy Butler, Jeremy Reaves Others: Tyler Owens, Ben Nikkel Martin revealed to reporters at the team's draft day fan event that he had offseason surgery on both shoulders after playing through separations last season. That's some toughness, and his play didn't suffer as a result. Kudos. We're aware of the strong safety swap — Jeremy Chinn out, Harris in. That's your primary combo, with Butler joining in three-safety looks. Owens, a raw but freaky athlete who made the roster as an undrafted free agent last year, is the rotation wild card. Kicker: Zane Gonzalez Punter: Tress Way Long snapper: Tyler Ott Designated special-teams ace: Nick Bellore Washington did its homework with this kicker draft class, but no competition for Gonzalez yet. Expect another kicker to join the team this summer. On the returner front, Newmark said part of Lane's appeal is his 'unique instinct' with the ball in his hands. Expect Lane to enter training camp as the front-runner for punt and possibly kick return duties. Bellore is a linebacker by trade, but he's here for special teams only (14 defensive snaps last season and 30 since 2018). (Photo of cornerback Trey Amos: David Rosenblum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Miami Herald
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Washington Commanders pick former HBCU star in NFL Draft
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders selected running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round (245th overall), marking a significant milestone in the career of the former HBCU standout from Alabama State. Croskey-Merritt's journey to the NFL is a testament to his resilience and determination. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Croskey-Merritt began his collegiate career at Alabama State University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), where he amassed 1,164 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns over 31 career games. Seeking an opportunity to showcase his game at the FBS level, he transferred to the University of New Mexico in 2023, where he had a breakout season with 1,190 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, earning second-team All-Mountain West honors. In 2024, he briefly joined the University of Arizona but appeared in only one game due to eligibility issues. Despite limited play, he showcased his talent at the East-West Shrine Bowl, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns, and earning MVP honors. 'Eligibility issues sidelined Croskey-Merritt for all but one game in 2024, but his skills were on full display at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January,' wrote Lance Zierlein. 'He's a quick processor with adequate size and impressive cut quickness to find yards in a crowded workspace. He has one-cut talent and the ability to break runs sharply across the grain when necessary. He finishes runs with purpose, too.' Croskey-Merritt's selection follows that of Bhayshul Tuten, another former HBCU running back from North Carolina A&T, who was drafted earlier in the fourth round (104th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tuten's impressive college career included over 3,500 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns. He further boosted his draft stock with a standout performance at the NFL Combine, recording a 40-yard dash time of 4.32 seconds. ? The selections of Croskey-Merritt and Tuten highlight the growing trend of homegrown HBCU talent emerging from FBS schools as polished prospects. Their journeys underscore the importance of the opportunities that HBCUs can provide for athletes to develop and showcase their skills on a national stage.? As Croskey-Merritt joins the Washington Commanders, he brings a powerful running style and a proven ability to overcome adversity. His addition to the roster adds depth to the backfield and continues the legacy of HBCU athletes making their mark in the NFL. The post Washington Commanders pick former HBCU star in NFL Draft appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Miami Herald
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Dolphins fly in three more draft prospects, including a running back with a past mystery
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. 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.
