Commanders' rookie may be the draft’s biggest steal (but he’s not satisfied)

It hasn't been hard to find praise around Jacory Croskey-Merritt this offseason. However, the Washington Commanders' rookie running back remains his own harshest critic amid the ever-increasing adulation.

The Commanders thought they had a steal when Croskey-Merritt was available at No. 245 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He'd have gone much higher if the NCAA hadn't revoked his eligibility one game into the 2024 campaign. This hurt, and it lit a fire under the first-year pro during a phenomenal transition to the pros.

Croskey-Merritt's been nothing short of sensational. He's gone from an afterthought to a virtual roster lock. His impact even left team insider Ben Standig to suggest the Commanders could remove Brian Robinson Jr. from the equation.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt isn't getting complacent amid ongoing Commanders adulation

All eyes were on Croskey-Merritt during his first preseason outing against the New England Patriots. It was a solid enough debut despite suffering a hard hit on his shoulder. However, this was not an opinion shared by the player.

I'm blessed to be here but it's not the kind of game I wanted. I can just work on it moving forward. It's definitely fixable. I think I was moving a little too fast but, I mean, it's going to take time. It's my first game, and I think things will slow down for me and it will be good. Anytime we're on the field we want to win and we want to compete. Even though it's preseason, it's just a bad feeling just losing games. We've just got to come back out tomorrow and be ready to work.Jacory Croskey-Merritt via Commanders

This is the right attitude to have. Every game, every camp practice, is a learning curve at this stage. Croskey-Merritt is taking nothing for granted. It was a rollercoaster journey to get to this point, so he's not going to let standards slip with momentum firmly in his favor at long last.

Croskey-Merritt will benefit from his first taste of a typical NFL game-day setting. He remains behind Robinson and Austin Ekeler in the running back pecking order right now. Still, the No. 3 spot is his to lose despite the presence of Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and Demetric Felton.

That means nothing to Croskey-Merritt. He's got bigger ambitions than making the team, although that was his first objective. He wants to gradually increase his influence as the campaign progresses, potentially becoming a major factor once confidence in his ability rises. Much will depend on how Robinson and Ekeler perform, but he's got a shot.

And keeping this mindset will go a long way to achieving his goals.

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