3. He made the most of a tough year at Arizona.
Things started well enough for Croskey-Merritt at Arizona, as he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, but questions about his eligibility forced him to miss the rest of the season. “It was pretty rough,” Croskey-Merritt said, but he made the most of it by staying active in practice to help his team win.
That effort might not have shown up on the stat sheet, but it stuck out to the Commanders when evaluating him.
“You talk to the people at Arizona, and you talk to him when he was here [for a 30 visit], and they have so much respect for how he stayed engaged the whole way through the season,” said Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark.
What stood out the most to the Commanders is that his preparation stayed the same, despite not playing a role on Saturdays. That shows a high level of integrity that the front office wanted on their roster.
“I learned that I’m a strong individual…always loved the game, but it challenged me to a different level, and I was ready to take on that talent,” Croskey-Merritt said. “I think I did a good job at that.”