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Commanders May Have Steal of 2025 NFL Draft on Their Hands

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Morgan | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 9:12 AM ET

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. has been very solid since he was drafted back in 2022, but he has not yet played a full season.

As a result, the team would love to have multiple players that they can count on to back him up and come in when the team needs them to.

Per ESPN's John Keim, the team's rookie running back, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, has been impressing so far at the team's OTAs. If he can step up and be consistent, that would be absolutely huge for a team looking to contend for the Super Bowl like the Commanders.

The team selected Croskey-Merritt with the 245th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, so if he can contribute in a major way, he will be considered one of the steals of the draft.

"My understanding is that @JacoryMerritt15 was the fastest guy out there on Tuesday." - @john_keim
— Bobby Gould (@Smith4Gm) June 5, 2025

The 24-year-old running back played just one game in 2024 due to eligibility issues, but his 2023 season was very solid. He racked up 1,190 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on an impressive 6.3 yards per carry.

Washington has veteran back Austin Ekeler to back up Robinson, but considering he is 30 years old, the team would like other players to be depth pieces. Croskey-Merritt could provide exactly that.

There are not a lot of expectations for the former Arizona Wildcat in his rookie season - or, at least, there were not before the recent OTAs - so he will be looking to make the most of the snaps that he is given and show that everyone was wrong to overlook him.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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