Jacrory Croskey-Merritt
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Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Late-round draft picks who become star players don’t come around often in the NFL, but there have been some notable ones. Most recently, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy rose from being the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 draft — the slot that comes with the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant” — to leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his sophomore season.
Then there was Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, a seventh-round pick in 1990 who became a Hall of Famer.
Richard Dent, a pass rusher and crucial member of the Chicago Bears 1985 15-1 team that won the Super Bowl, was picked in the eighth round, which doesn’t even exist anymore.
A 1995 sixth-round pick, running back Terrell Davis, another Hall of Fame inductee, ran for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons and led the NFL with 2,008 in 1998 when he powered the Broncos to their second straight Super Bowl trophy.
And then there was the 199th overall pick in 2000, a guy named Tom Brady, who only went on to become the greatest quarterback of all time.
The Washington Commanders might have added another late-round “steal” to the list this year, when they took 5-foot-11, 208-pound Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round with the 245th overall pick.
Croskey-Merritt got 10 carries for 82 yards, including one for a touchdown, and another for a game-long gain of 42 yards, in the Commanders’ 21-6 Week One defeat of the New York Giants.
Here’s what you need to know about the Commanders’ fast-rising potential star.
He Already Has an Award from the NFL
His breakout performance against the Giants earned Croskey-Merritt the first NFL Rookie of the Week award of the season. He only has 10 to go to equal his quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who took home the honor 11 times last season.
Croskey-Merritt was the first NFL rookie picked after No. 200 to rush for at least 75 yards and a touchdown in his debut game.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt aka Bill
I’m all aboard the Bill train after being skeptical all preseason. Happily admit when I’m wrong / off. Buddy is looking legit!
TE is wrapping around and picking up the outside backer. Bill sticks his foot in the ground and gets north for a big… pic.twitter.com/wOwqXjjRYh
— Nate (@BallCoach_Nate) September 10, 2025
He Wants to be Known as ‘Bill’
If the 24-year-old Croskey-Merritt was christened “William,” his nickname would naturally become the familiar “Bill.” But how does a kid, now a young man, named “Jacory” acquire the nickname? Apparently it all goes back to the late 1990s/early 2000s children’s cartoon Little Bill, featuring a five-year-old with a bald head.
“I got the nickname Bill from having a bald head when I was little,” Croskey-Merritt said in an interview before he was drafted. “I used to have a low haircut, so people joked on me and said I looked like the character Little Bill. So it just stuck with me.”
He Was Incorrectly Ruled Ineligible to Play at Arizona
Starting his collegiate career at Alabama State before transferring to New Mexico and then, in 2024, Arizona, Croskey-Merritt missed almost all of his lone, senior season there due to the NCAA ruling him ineligible.
What happened?
As it turned out, in his freshman season at Alabama State, Croskey-Merritt was redshirted. But because he switched jerseys with a teammate, that other player’s stats were recorded as if they belonged to Croskey-Merritt.
Those extra, phantom games caused the NCAA to rule that he had already used up his college eligibility. The bureaucratic cross-up may have something to do with why Croskey-Merritt fell all the way to the seventh round in the 2025 draft.
The guy I am most excited to watch tonight goes by his own name… Jacory Croskey-Merritt better known as BILL!
I cannot wait to see my man BILL run the rock at Lambeau Field tonight. pic.twitter.com/jyfXbDV6yp
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) September 11, 2025
Croskey-Merritt Was a Zero-Star Recruit
It has truly been a long journey to become NFL Rookie of the Week. Coming out of Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama, recruiters rated Croskey-Merritt zero stars. A five-star grading system is used to evaluate potential college players.
Nonetheless, he received a scholarship from Alabama State, an FCS school. He did not excel there either, playing four seasons, totaling just 1,164 yards with 13 touchdowns.
But a game-high 97 yards and two touchdowns in the 2025 Shrine Bowl was enough to at least grab the attention of Washington scouts. The team decided to take a flyer on him in the seventh round.
He Almost Lost the Ball From His First NFL TD
Capping an eight-play, 58-yard Commanders drive near the end of the first half against the Giants, Croskey-Merritt took a handoff from Daniels and dashed around the end for a six-yard touchdown run.
Then he dropped the ball.
The ball from any rookie’s first touchdown is, of course, a memorable keepsake. But Croskey-Merritt almost didn’t get to keep his.
“I forgot the ball again,” Croskey-Merritt said after the game. “I told myself, ‘When I score, I’m going to make sure I keep my football.’ I think the excitement just takes over me, and I just end up dropping it.”
Fortunately, wide receiver Terry McLaurin retrieved the ball and returned it to “Bill,” who presumably will keep it a souvenir of his extraordinary journey to the NFL.