Commanders' rookie goes from under the radar to undeniable as hype explodes

"It's been a meteoric rise for Croskey-Merritt. He's gone from a Day 3 afterthought to a prominent feature in Washington's offensive strategy. And the hype reached a new level thanks to a blistering performance early in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Commanders were getting Croskey-Merritt involved a lot more. It took a while for the offense to click, but a forced fumble from safety Quan Martin that was recovered by cornerback Marshon Lattimore gave them an unlikely chance when hope was fading."

"Washington put together a masterful drive. It was well-balanced, fluid, and aggressive. And unsurprisingly, it featured a heavy dose of the seventh-round rookie. The decisiveness with which Croskey-Merritt runs the football is nothing short of outstanding. He's a firecracker out of the backfield, exploiting seams for significant gains with smooth contact balance. He's also got enough speed to bend around the edge, as evidenced by his touchdown run that got Washington back into the contest."

"Croskey-Merritt has proven he belongs. He's proven capable of handling big-time responsibilities for an offense in desperate need of inspiration. More importantly, he's taking absolutely nothing for granted after overcoming genuine adversity to reach this point. The first-year pro arguably has more buzz around him than any seventh-round pick since Brock Purdy, who was also drafted by a team where Adam Peters held influence in the front office."

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was selected at No. 245 in the 2025 NFL Draft and has rapidly become a prominent feature in Washington's offense. He moved from a Day 3 afterthought to a primary playmaker following a blistering early Week 5 performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. A forced fumble by Quan Martin, recovered by Marshon Lattimore, created an opportunity that Washington exploited with a well-balanced, aggressive drive heavily featuring Croskey-Merritt. He runs decisively with smooth contact balance, explodes through seams, and possesses enough speed to bend the edge, evidenced by a touchdown run. He has drawn high buzz, earned trust, and appears poised for continued impact.

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