From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Arizona RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
#1 JACORY CROSKEY-MERRITT/RB ARIZONA – 5104, 206 POUNDS (SENIOR)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | 5104/206 | 8 7/8 | 31 5/8 | 76 3/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Shined at the Shrine Bowl by winning Offensive MVP in the game and making the East All-Practice team
– Seems to have good character by showing no animosity towards the NCAA eligibility investigation and helping Arizona out on the scout team by never missing a practice or meeting
– Looks for work as a pass blocker and is pretty solid in that aspect
– Explosive acceleration to hit holes and take it the distance
– Elite footwork that allows him to show off a plethora of creative moves to make defenders miss and gain extra yardage
– Solid contact balance and continues to turn his legs through contact
– Shows promise as a receiving back despite not being used in that role consistently
– Explosive 2023 season for New Mexico, where he had 1,262 total yards, 18 total touchdowns, and 6.3 yards per carry
– Solid long-distance speed and stamina that allows him to break multiple long runs per game
– Above-average height that falls in the 56th percentile
The Bad
– At soon-to-be 24, is an older age prospect in general but especially at a position with a shorter shelf life
– Only one college season of great production
– Weight falls in the 46th percentile, which may be an issue
– Struggles to gain yardage up the middle consistently and will try to bounce most runs outside due to it
– Struggled to produce at a high level at Alabama Stat,e where he averaged just 402 yards per season, 3.5 touchdowns per season, and 3.5 yards per carry
– Struggles with being overly patient behind the line of scrimmage
– Very upright running style that limits elusiveness and creates rigid movement
Bio
– 23 years old (April 12th, 2001)
– 31 games played for Alabama State from 2019 to 2022, 12 games played for New Mexico in 2023, and 1 game played for Arizona in 2024
– 598 offensive touches, 2,978 scrimmage yards, 33 scrimmage touchdowns, and 4.6 yards per carry in his college career
– 13 offensive touches, 106 scrimmage yards, 1 scrimmage touchdown, and 8.2 yards per carry in 2024
– No major injuries
– Zero-star RB in his 2019 high school class from Montgomery, AL
– In high school, had 2,354 career all-purpose yards
– Became first New Mexico player to ever have two 200-yard rushing games in the same season, and was the first ever to have back-to-back 200-yard games
– Committed to Arizona in February of 2024 out of the transfer portal before flipping to Ole Miss in April and then flipping back and committing to Arizona in May of 2024
– Was benched after one game for Arizona due to eligibility questions from the NCAA dating back to his freshman season, where he only played four games but switched numbers with another Alabama State running back, which made that questionable
– Grew up a Steelers fan, according to his interview with Steelers Depot writer Melanie Friedlander
– 2024 Shrine Bowl Offensive MVP
Tape Breakdown
Let’s start with everyone’s favorite part of a running back’s play style: their pass blocking. I actually really like the effort and awareness I have seen from Jacory Croskey-Merritt in this aspect. All three of these clips show Croskey-Merritt picking up a defender screaming off the edge who would sack the quarterback if it wasn’t for the supreme blocks. Croskey-Merritt comes in at a below-average weight for the position but still offers a nice pop in pass protection, allowing his quarterback to step up and make the throw. This will make Croskey-Merritt more intriguing to general managers who value a player willing to do the dirty work in the NFL.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 23, 2025
Aside from the dirty work, Croskey-Merritt is also great at making most of his runs resemble a piece of art. Although this play was called back due to a holding penalty on the offense, it still shows who Croskey-Merritt is as a runner. He shows great patience, going up through the offensive and defensive lines before seeing a hole in his peripheral vision. Croskey-Merritt then explodes through that hole, even making a defender miss in the scrum of players, and is running in open space. He is met by two defenders down the field, who he shrugs off as he tumbles into the endzone. This play shows Croskey-Merritt’s patience, shiftiness, and long-distance speed perfectly. These traits that every team values in him as a runner.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 23, 2025
From the same game, here is another chunk play that just shows off his burst out of the gate when he sees a hole. Though he is a patient runner behind the line of scrimmage, he knows when not to be and takes advantage of a hole that opens automatically. Towards the end of the play, you can even see Croskey-Merritt invite contact from the safety, which shows he is not a scared runner trying to avoid any contact he can.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 23, 2025
Let’s bring it back to his breakout 2023 season and, specifically, one of his best college games, Fresno State. He takes the outside zone handoff and presses his blocks well before cutting the run back inside. He then swerves the run back outside to avoid the incoming defender from his right at midfield. Croskey-Merritt then makes a defender miss that is coming in on his left side with a simple side cut. Croskey-Merritt is now essentially off to the races, where he scores a touchdown by flying into the endzone over the pylon.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 23, 2025
Finally, ending Croskey-Merritt’s film breakdown with the game that put him on everyone’s radar, the Shrine Bowl. Croskey-Merritt finished this game with 11 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He was by far the best player in this game, and that can be seen on runs like this one, where he makes the entire West team look silly. He shows off multiple jump cuts that make a handful of defenders miss their tackle attempts and even deploys a successful spin. Throughout this play, he keeps those legs turning and moving to ensure he picks up every yard. This kind of running style Croskey-Merritt showed off all week at the Shrine Bowl led to his Offensive MVP award in the game.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 23, 2025
Conclusion
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a real underdog story who is quickly rising on everyone’s draft board due to his stellar Shrine Bowl performance. As someone lucky enough to see his great week in person, I kept hearing scouts and other analysts raving about how much Croskey-Merritt stood out.
NFL teams will be scared of Croskey-Merritt’s older age and lack of production from 2019 to 2022. However, since his breakout 2023 season, it has only been positive for Croskey-Merritt. He has successfully shown he can play at the FBS and NFL-level competition. With no injuries reported and a pretty light college workload, Croskey-Merritt should have less tread than your average soon-to-be 24-year-old running back. His blocking, footwork, and explosiveness will intrigue GMs everywhere to take a chance on him.
My NFL comparison for Croskey-Merritt is Ronald Jones. Both possess measurements of very similar size down to hand size and arm length. They have similar play styles that produce eye-popping huge runs due to their great acceleration and burst to hit small holes. Like Jones coming out of USC, Croskey-Merritt is expected to add more value in the receiving game than he did in college. However, both struggle at times with running between the tackles and shedding defenders. That said, their creativity allows them to turn routine A-gap runs into big plays, bouncing outside for extra yardage when given the opportunity.
Projection: Mid to Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 – Fourth (Rotational Player)
Games Watched: Shrine Bowl (2025), New Mexico (2024), Fresno State (2023), Boise State (2023)
