Who in the World is Bill Croskey-Merritt?

He did put up solid numbers at his pro day workout, and impressed at the East-West Shrine Bowl, but still managed to stay on the board until the final moments of this year's draft, when the Commanders grabbed him with the 245th overall pick.

Listed at 5-11, 208 pounds, Croskey-Merritt has a solid frame, and he brings a valuable balance of strength and explosiveness to the table. He has the vision and patience to read his blocks and pick the right gaps, and the acceleration to explode into the second level for big gains.

Just check out the vision, quickness and explosiveness put on display here by Croskey-Merritt on this long touchdown run against the Cincinnati Bengals in Monday night's preseason game:

That skill set made such an impact on the Commanders that Robinson was made expendable after being their top back in 2024. Washington still has other backs on the roster who bring more experience to the group, but Austin Ekeler (now 30 years old) isn't the same dynamic back he was a few years ago, and Chris Rodriguez is best used as a short-yardage and goal-line runner.

Now that Robinson's out of the mix, the runway is wide open for Croskey-Merritt to continue his rapid ascension up the depth chart and seize an every-down role in Washington's high-powered offense. No doubt offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will cook up plenty of creative ways to take full advantage of Croskey-Merritt's big-play ability while lining him up next to Jayden Daniels in the backfield.

Once a zero-star recruit coming out of hi gh school, it looks like Croskey-Merritt could be a more productive pro right out of the gate than he ever was in the college ranks.

If you've already stolen him in the later rounds of your fantasy football drafts (or better yet, off the waiver wire), good on you. If your league still hasn't drafted yet, be prepared to pay a premium to get him on your roster after these recent developments.