It was no secret going into the 2025 NFL Draft that the Washington Commanders needed a running back. However, they waited until the seventh round and used their last pick in the draft to select Jacory Croskey-Merritt out of Arizona.
He ended up playing a crucial role in Washington’s offense. As a rookie, he played in every game and started seven games, including the final two games of last year. Looking back at the 2025 draft, Croskey-Merritt now ranks as the No. 9 back out of the 23 running backs selected according to Bleacher Report. Here is what they had to say about Croskey-Merritt.
“Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a great story last year - the seventh-round pick out of Arizona who went from being the last running back drafted to starting seven games
for the Washington Commanders as a rookie.
In his first career start last year against the Los Angeles Chargers, the 5’11’’, 208-pounder carried the ball 14 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. By the end of that first season, he had surpassed 800 yards on the ground, averaged a respectable 4.6 yards per carry and found the end zone eight times.
Things haven’t gone as well as in 2026. His yards per attempt have dropped by a full yard, and he is currently on injured reserve with a groin injury. He has also offered little as a receiver, with just 14 career receptions.
But Croskey-Merritt has shown he can at least be part of a committee attack in the backfield as a between-the-tackles grinder.”
His drop in production this season is not entirely on him. Washington’s offensive line has not helped in the run or pass game. The Commanders also tried to add to their running back depth in the 2026 draft with Kaytron Allen, but ultimately chose to release him near the beginning of October after having only 41 rushing yards on 12 attempts in the first four games of the season.
With Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve, the Commanders split carries among Rachaad White, Austin Ekeler, and Jeremy McNichols in their Week 6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Washington only had 53 rushing yards and averaged 3.1 yards per carry in that game. Before his injury, the Commanders averaged 139.6 rushing yards per game and had reached at least 100 rushing yards in four of their first five games.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt moves way up in 2025 running back class rankings
