2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Arizona RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt

From now to the 2025 NFL Draft, we scout and create profiles of as many prospects as possible, looking at their strengths, weaknesses and what they can bring to the NFL franchise. These players could be a priority for potential top 10 picks, selections up to day 3, and undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on the Arizona RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

#1 Jacory Croskey-Merritt/RB Arizona – 5104, 206 lbs (senior)

measurement

good

-Get offensive MVP in the game and shine in the Shrine Bowl by creating an all-practice team in the East
– Apparently he has a good personality by showing no hostility towards the NCAA eligibility study and helping to lead Arizona to the scouting team by not missing practices or meetings
– Looking for work as a pass blocker and is pretty solid in that respect
– Explosive acceleration to make holes and distance
– Elite footwork that allows him to show off a lot of creative moves to miss the defender and get extra yards.
– Balance your contacts firmly and continue to turn his legs through contact
– indicates acceptance is returned despite not being used consistently in that role
– New Mexico’s explosive 2023 season.
– Solid long distance speed and stamina that can beat multiple long runs per game
– Above average height in the 56th percentile

bad

– There is a general age outlook when you turn 24 right away, but you are in a position where you have a short shelf life.
– Only one college season for great productions
– Weight drops to the 46th percentile, which may be a problem
– You’ll struggle to get yards consistently and try to bounce most of your run outside for this reason
– We had a hard time producing at a high level with Alabama statistics. He averaged 402 yards per season, 3.5 touchdowns per season and 3.5 yards per carry
– struggling to be overly patient behind the line of scrimmage
– A very upright running style that limits abundance and creates strict movement

Bio

– 23 years old (April 12, 2001)
– 31 games were played in Alabama from 2019 to 2022, 12 games were played in New Mexico in 2023, and 1 game played in Arizona in 2024
– 598 offensive touches, 2,978 scrimmage yards, 33 scrimmage touchdowns, and 4.6 yards per carry at his college
– 13 offensive touches, 106 scrimmage yards, 1 scrimmage touchdown, and 8.2 yards per carry in 2024
– No major injuries
– Zero Star RB from Montgomery, Alabama, a high school class of 2019
– In high school, there were 2,354 career yards.
– Became the first New Mexican player to hold two 200-yard rushing games in the same season, and was the first game to hold a 200-yard consecutive game
– Committed to Arizona in February 2024, turned over by Ole Miss in April, and messed up in Arizona in May 2024, then from the transfer portal
– Going back to freshman season for qualified questions from the NCAA who were benched after one game for Arizona.
-An interview with Steelers depot writer Melanie Friedlander said he grew up as a Steelers fan
– 2024 Shrine Bowl Attack MVP

Tape breakdown

Start with everyone’s favorite part of running back playstyle: pass blocking. I actually really love the effort and awareness of Jacory Croskey-Merritt in this respect. All three of these clips show that if Crosskey Merit wasn’t the best block, they’re picking up a screaming defender from the edge looting the quarterback. Croskey-Merritt appears at sub-average weight for position, but offers a lovely pop of pass protection, allowing the quarterback to step up and make a throw. This makes Croskey-Merritt even more intriguing for general managers who value players who are willing to do dirty work in the NFL.

Apart from dirty work, Crosskey Merritt is also excellent in that most of his running resembles art. The play was recalled for retaining a penalty for the offense, but shows who Crosskey Merritt is as a runner. He showed great patience and passed through the offensive and defensive lines before drilling holes in the vision around it. Crosskey Merritt then explodes that hole, missing the defender in the player’s scrum and runs in open space. He meets two defenders on the field and shruggs as he falls into the end zone. The play perfectly illustrates Croskey-Merritt’s patience, shifting and long distance speed. These traits are important to all teams as runners.

From the same game there is another chunk play where he just left the gate when he saw the hole. He is the patient runner behind the line of scrimmage, but he knows when it should not exist and uses the hole that automatically opens. Towards the end of the play, you can even see Croskey-Merritt invite contacts from safety.

Let’s go back to his breakout 2023 season, especially one of his best college games, Fresno State. He hand off the outer zone and pushes the block quite a bit before cutting off running inside. He then runs back outside to avoid the defender coming from the right in the middle. Crosskey Merritt then makes a defensive mistake that comes to the left with a simple sidecut. Croskey-Merritt essentially goes out to race and gets a touchdown by diving past the pylon into the end zone.

Finally, in a game where Crosskey Merritt’s movie collapse was over and he puts him in the shrine bowl, everyone’s radar. Croskey-Merritt finished the game with 11 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He is much best player in this game and you can see it in a run like this. There, he makes the entire West team look stupid. He shows off multiple jump cuts, and a handful of defenders missed tackle attempts and even unfolded a successful spin. Through this play he keeps those legs spinning and moving, making sure to pick up all the gardens. This kind of running style Croskey-Merritt performed all week at The Shrine Bowl, winning an offensive MVP award in the game.

Conclusion

Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the story of a real underdog who is rapidly rising on everyone’s draft boards for a performance in the Starry Shrine Bowl. As someone lucky enough to actually see his amazing week, I continued to rave reviews from Scouts and other analysts for how well Crosskey Merritt stands out.

The NFL team fears Croskey-Merritt’s age and production shortages from 2019 to 2022. However, since the 2023 breakout, it has been positive for Croskey-Merritt. He has successfully demonstrated that he can play in competitions at the FBS and NFL levels. With no reported injuries and a rather light college workload, Croskey-Merritt should have fewer treads than the average 24-year-old runner up. His blocking, footwork and explosiveness will attract GMS anywhere and give him a chance.

My NFL comparison of Croskey-Merritt is Ronald Jones. Both have measurements of very similar sizes, ranging from hand size to arm length. They have a similar playstyle that creates a spectacular, huge run due to the huge acceleration and explosion. As Jones comes out of USC, Croskey-Merritt is expected to add more value to the receiving game than he did in college. But both have struggled to run between tackles and drain defenders. That said, their creativity allows them to turn the A-gap in their routine into a massive play, bouncing outside for extra yards when given the opportunity.

projection: Day 3 to second half to second half
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 – 4th (Spin Player)
Games seen: Shrine Bowl (2025), New Mexico (2024), Fresno (2023), Boise (2023)