Every NFL offseason, one player from a team's draft class surprises everyone and makes play after play in training camp, and eventually makes the team.
So, who will be that player for the Washington Commanders?
There are a host of candidates, with receiver Jaylin Lanes a fourth-round pick, but one is running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, a seventh-round selection.
There are some who aren't sold on Croskey-Merritt as a draft pick, let alone one who could make the roster, but he's had just one full college season, and it was a good one with the running back rushing for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns for New Mexico.
But last year, Croskey-Merritt switched to Arizona and only played one game (13 att, 106 yards, one touchdown) before eligibility issues saw him sidelined for the rest of the year.
So the things he's done on the field are nothing to sneeze at, and for NFL.com's Gennaro Filice, he's a sleeper to watch this offseason.
"Croskey-Merritt's one of the biggest wild cards in this draft class, as NCAA eligibility issues limited him to one game last season for Arizona (13 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against New Mexico)," Filice writes. "He popped back up in the East-West Shrine Bowl, earning Offensive MVP honors after rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. JCM's a deep sleeper as the 245th overall pick, but he's an interesting prospect to follow, nonetheless."
Coming to a running back room that houses Austin Ekeler, Brian Robinson Jr., Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez, Croskey-Merritt could find meaningful touches hard to come by as he looks to impress this offseason.
Rookie mini camp will be his first chance to show the Commanders' coaching staff what he is all about, and with all of Washington's running backs in 2025 set to be free agents in 2026, perhaps Croskey-Merritt was selected with that in mind.
Still, he has to prove that he belongs at the NFL level, and his college numbers suggest he might.
But coming to a Commanders team with ample running options, and good ones at that, this potential "sleeper" pick has it all to do if he is to make a statement in his rookie season.
