Cardinals Schedule Top 30 Visit With Draft RB

Croskey-Merritt was a big addition for the Wildcats last offseason through the transfer portal. Then-head coach Jed Fisch took the open position at Washington and left Arizona spiraling. Tons of their players entered the portal, including star running back Jonah Coleman, who followed Fisch to Seattle. 

Croskey-Merritt joined the team after leaving New Mexico for a shot at the highest level of college football competition. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way that he was hoping as he was seemingly ruled in eligible by the NCAA as a sixth-year player and missed most of his last season of college. In his lone game of action, he ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown against his former team.

It was a long career for Croskey-Merritt, who played his first four seasons of college ball at Alabama State before the 2023 year with the Lobos. That single year in Albuquerque saw him post nearly 1,200 rushing yards, and 17 scores on the ground.

His move to Power Four football appeared to be the final step for him to get to the pros.

But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. 

Croskey-Merritt has routinely been a player selected in full mock drafts as a day three guy. That may not sound like much, but consider his circumstances and how many years of college football he played and it certainly stands out that teams have an interest in him.

It’s hard to predict what a guy would’ve done over a full season with just one game played, but Croskey-Merritt is clearly trending upwards and has the attention of pro teams.

The Cardinals are among those who may have an interest in him, considering his talent and upside coupled with the potential value they could get with selecting him.

Perhaps the Cardinals are only looking to finalize their draft board, and that is more than likely the most realistic possibility. It’s nonetheless noteworthy that the team is speaking with several running backs throughout this process, and Croskey-Merritt is yet another guy.