Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders 7th round pick, joins G&D to discuss the pre-draft process and more!
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00:00improvement choice. From the Crop Metcalf
00:01five-star sports desk, I'm Toby Altheiser
00:03on the fan.
00:15You know, he towed, oh boy, there's
00:17a big hole. Wow. And there's
00:20the touchdown that Kroski-Mir
00:21has been wanting. He
00:23gets a touchdown run from 36
00:26yards out against his former
00:27squad.
00:30We'll be joined in just a moment
00:34by Ja'Cory Kroski-Mir, the newest
00:36member of the Commanders who they
00:38drafted in the seventh round out of Arizona.
00:40Welcome back. Grant and Danny on the fan. We're
00:42at Capital One Arena today. We'll be
00:44here when you get into the building. If you're coming to Caps
00:46Canadians game five, a possible
00:48home clincher for the first time
00:50for the Caps in ten years here
00:52at Cap One Arena. So when you get into the
00:54building, come by sections 106-107
00:56and say hello. What are you doing to
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01:15Voice of the Caps Joe Beninati in a half
01:17hour. New Commanders receiver
01:19Jalen Lane drafted out of Virginia Tech
01:21at 430 and DC City
01:23Councilwoman Brooke Pinto, who is
01:254A Stadium at the RFK site, it sounds
01:27like, stopping by the arena
01:29here with us at five o'clock. But let's go
01:31to the Rude Guest Hotline
01:33right now. Rude, the most reliable
01:35heating and air conditioning products in the DMV
01:37and welcome onto the show. New
01:39Commanders running back, Ja'Cory Cross
01:41Key Merritt out of Arizona, who they took
01:43in round seven. Ja'Cory, thanks for the time. You're on in
01:45D.C. How are you? I'm good.
01:47How you doing? Thanks for having me.
01:49We're great, buddy. Congrats. We're fired up to
01:51have you join the Commanders. Take us back
01:53to the pre-draft process.
01:55Could you tell that Washington was high on you
01:57and did they stand out among some
01:59of the teams that were courting you?
02:02Yes, sir. It was
02:02very high on me.
02:05We did a couple of zone meetings.
02:07They eventually ended up bringing
02:09me on the top 30 and
02:10I just love
02:12the coaches, the staff, and
02:15the brotherhood that they have going on
02:17down there. So I was super pumped
02:19to hear them call my name on draft day.
02:21How do you feel like
02:22the fact that I think for a lot of folks
02:24you may have been a relative unknown. You only got to get in
02:26that one game for Arizona this past
02:28year. You're finally in New Mexico. The numbers are eye-popping.
02:31How do you feel like that affected your draft
02:32status?
02:35I think it affected it
02:36but I mean, it's all
02:39God. I'm super excited
02:41to just build Washington.
02:43I'm just ready to get to work.
02:46Ja'Cory Akroski,
02:47Merritt, running back, New Mexico
02:49and Arizona, who
02:51is the newest member of the team after
02:53being drafted in the seventh round. So tell
02:55us about your running style and just
02:57when you've got the ball in your hands, what kind of player
02:59you are?
03:01My running style is very unique. I like to be
03:03different with the football.
03:04I like to run
03:05hard, run aggressive,
03:07make people miss.
03:09I like to get dirty yards and, you know,
03:11take it a distance.
03:12So I try to not limit
03:14myself to what I can do, even catching
03:16out of the backfield. So I'm just looking
03:17forward to just bringing
03:19another skill set
03:23to the office that they already have
03:25but I'm just ready to get down to work.
03:28Would you rather
03:29shake a dude in space
03:31or truck a dude in space?
03:36It just
03:36depends. I mean, I'd
03:38rather score, but I mean...
03:40Good answer.
03:42I think I'd rather
03:44score, but I mean, I'd rather
03:45truck a dude too, so that's a hard
03:47question.
03:49Take me through the last calendar
03:51year here, for those of us that
03:53don't have all the information. So you only played in the
03:55one game. I don't know if it was an eligibility
03:57thing or kind of what went into that. And then
03:59also, how that affected your draft
04:01stock? Because it goes without saying, from a talent
04:03standpoint, you should not have been available in
04:05the seventh round. They feel like they got a steal.
04:07So walk us through how that all played out
04:09from when you left New Mexico to just
04:11playing in the one game at Arizona.
04:13Okay, so when I was
04:14at...
04:15When I decided to go to Arizona,
04:17I ended up playing in one game.
04:19And things came back from my
04:21freshman year that I played in too many games.
04:24And the NCAA ruled
04:25me in Eligible. I mean, I was looking forward
04:27to have another breakout year
04:29at Arizona.
04:31Had a great first game.
04:34It was just going to be
04:34just straight on
04:37forward from there.
04:38And I mean, I feel like
04:39it did affect my draft start.
04:41I mean, I truly believe
04:43that I'm a
04:44day one, day two type of guy.
04:47But
04:47it all worked out in God's
04:49favor, and I'm a Washington
04:51commander.
04:52Ja'Cory Kroski, Merritt with us
04:53here, on at G&D.
04:56So, in terms of, you know,
04:57right away,
04:59stepping foot on campus
05:00here with the team,
05:02what have they told you about
05:03your role, about competing
05:04for a gig, and just kind of
05:05what do we know at this point?
05:09Just know
05:09that I'm going to
05:12just do
05:14whatever they tell me.
05:16I mean,
05:16they want me on special teams
05:18as a returner
05:20or whatever, but
05:21once I get down there,
05:24I'm just
05:24looking forward to competing
05:26and doing it all.
05:27I mean, earning
05:27snaps in the backfield,
05:30just doing it all.
05:31I have a
05:32lot of expectations
05:33and I'm just ready
05:35to just show it in person.
05:375'10",
05:37about 206 pounds
05:39is what Ja'Cory Kroski,
05:41Merritt is listed at.
05:42Joining us here
05:42on Grant and Danny,
05:44drafted out of Arizona
05:45by the Commanders
05:46with the 245th pick.
05:47Who are your favorite
05:49running backs to study?
05:50And is there anyone
05:51that you would say
05:52maybe from a style
05:53or a size standpoint
05:54that you resemble
05:55a little bit when you play?
05:57I like Kamar.
05:58Alvin,
06:00I feel like he's
06:01a great back.
06:02I've been on
06:03Jameer Gibbs a lot.
06:05He's a great back as well.
06:07So those are like
06:08some of the guys
06:09I try to model my game
06:11after they're very smooth,
06:13run very hard,
06:14and they're playmakers.
06:15So I love those guys.
06:19So that's interesting
06:20because I look at
06:21the bench press reps
06:22and you're super strong.
06:23You hit almost 20 reps.
06:25And you weren't viewed
06:26as like necessarily
06:27a 4'2", 9", 4'3", 1",
06:29like crazy 40 guy.
06:31I've thought of you
06:32more as a power back,
06:33but you've talked about
06:34catching the football.
06:35You know,
06:35the two guys you mentioned
06:36there are kind of
06:37shifty pass catchers.
06:39Do you view yourself
06:40as someone who could be
06:41a receiver out of the backfield
06:42and that type of back?
06:43100%.
06:45100%.
06:46And I'm just ready
06:48to get down there
06:48and show that I can...
06:51I'm ready to show
06:52that I don't have
06:52a limit to myself.
06:54Truly believe in that.
06:56And I mean,
06:57I just...
06:57I feel like I try
06:59to be able to do it all.
07:00I run...
07:00I run...
07:02I run big for my size
07:06if that makes sense.
07:07I'm a powerful runner.
07:09I'm very explosive.
07:10And I can make guys miss.
07:12So...
07:14What do you do best
07:16right now?
07:16And what do you want
07:17to improve upon?
07:20I do best
07:21with my vision.
07:25Got a good feel
07:26for the game.
07:27Got good instincts.
07:29And can...
07:30And I'm going to always
07:31try to get power.
07:32I'm at positive yards.
07:34So...
07:34I feel like I have, like...
07:37I'm just a natural runner
07:38if that makes sense.
07:40Ja'Cory,
07:41let me get to know you
07:41a little bit.
07:42Let our listeners
07:42get to know you
07:43here in the D.C. area.
07:44All right?
07:45You're obviously
07:45a very in-shape gentleman,
07:46incredibly athletic.
07:47You're an NFL player now,
07:48which is really, really cool.
07:49But let's just say
07:50you got no weigh-ins
07:51coming up.
07:52You got no obligations.
07:54All you're going to do
07:55is relax
07:56and your feet are up.
07:57Give me your cheat meal.
07:58Your number one seed meal
07:59that you would cheat with.
08:01Cheat meal,
08:02I got to go with...
08:03With a taco salad.
08:06Have the different...
08:07Ingredients on it,
08:10like...
08:11Chips, onions,
08:14and, like...
08:15I feel like that's a cheat meal.
08:17A taco salad,
08:18a big taco salad.
08:20A salad is the first time
08:22we've ever gotten that.
08:22See, but it's not...
08:23It's not like a salad.
08:24Like, you're thinking of a salad.
08:25No, it's not healthy.
08:26I understand.
08:26It's like taco stuff,
08:27but all mixed up.
08:28But is there lettuce in it?
08:29There might be some lettuce.
08:29It's still salad, then.
08:31Like, what about...
08:31You ever had a cheeseburger?
08:32Have you ever tried that?
08:33Oh, yeah.
08:34Cheeseburgers,
08:35wings.
08:36Like, those are my go-to.
08:37I'm really not a pizza guy,
08:40but, yeah,
08:40those are my top three.
08:41Taco salad wings
08:42and burgers.
08:44All right.
08:44I like that.
08:45Last one for me.
08:47Just getting to know the team.
08:48You mentioned the brotherhood
08:49and the camaraderie
08:50with some of the staff
08:51that you had.
08:52Who stood out to you?
08:54How much time did you spend,
08:55if any,
08:55talking to Dan Quinn
08:57before the draft
08:58and Adam Peters,
08:59and what can you just tell us
09:00about the way
09:00the commanders operated?
09:02DQ and AP,
09:06they both stood out.
09:09That was my first meeting
09:10when I got there
09:11on my 30th visit.
09:13And, like,
09:13those guys set the tone.
09:15Great gentlemen.
09:17Great human beings.
09:18And it was...
09:19It was just a blessing
09:21to just be able to
09:23just get to know those guys.
09:26And I'm very,
09:27very fired up
09:28that they believed in me.
09:30And, like,
09:31I'm ready to get down there
09:32and work.
09:33Were you at the famous
09:34Topgolf gathering
09:35or was your 30th
09:36like an individual visit?
09:39It was...
09:40Nah, we...
09:41I went to Topgolf
09:42with a couple of the guys
09:44that was down there
09:45on the Topgolf division.
09:46Nice.
09:46Me and AP,
09:47we actually was in the same...
09:48the same...
09:50the same little booth.
09:53Oh, Peters was in your booth?
09:54Yeah, so we actually got time
09:56to, um...
09:58we actually got time
09:58to spend time
09:59with each other.
10:00Maybe.
10:01It's why you got drafted.
10:03I love it.
10:03Maybe he liked what he saw.
10:04Either the golf game
10:05or how you hung out
10:06with the guys.
10:07It was definitely fun.
10:11Now you got to...
10:12Now, if it's him
10:13and, like, Jalen Lane,
10:15you know,
10:16and the entire...
10:17like, Amos,
10:18the entire draft class
10:19was in that bay,
10:21then we know
10:21they were going to something.
10:22Now we know.
10:23Was it all the guys
10:24they drafted in that bay
10:25or just you?
10:27Um, I think it was just me.
10:29It was just me.
10:30Well, cool.
10:31Well, congrats.
10:32Thanks for hopping on
10:33and we look forward to...
10:34Yeah, welcome, buddy.
10:35...getting to know you
10:36a little bit.
10:36Where can people
10:37follow you on social
10:38and just get to know you
10:39as a person
10:40leading up to
10:41the football season?
10:43You can follow me
10:44on Instagram
10:45at Ja'Cory Kroski,
10:47on Twitter
10:48at Ja'CoryMarry15
10:49and you can know
10:52that, like,
10:53I mean,
10:54I'm very confident,
10:56very humble
10:58and, like,
10:59putting a lot of work
11:00in.
11:00I'm just ready
11:01to get down there
11:02and show
11:04what I can do.
11:06We're rooting for you.
11:07So, is it Kroski Merit
11:09like hyphenated
11:09on the jersey
11:10or do you go
11:11by one or the other?
11:12It's hyphenated
11:13on the jersey.
11:14Gotcha.
11:15Cool.
11:15All right.
11:16Well, thank you
11:16for the time
11:17and we'll be pulling
11:18for you.
11:18Appreciate you, buddy.
11:19Training Camp.
11:19I appreciate y'all.
11:21Let's raise him.
11:22Let's go.
11:23There's Ja'Cory Kroski Merit.
11:24He's got the raise
11:25hell down.
11:25He's already down.
11:26I like it.
11:27He's got it.
11:27He was in a bay
11:28with Peters.
11:29That's interesting.
11:30That is a good tidbit.
11:31Yeah.
11:31It's not quite
11:32the smoking gun
11:33of Jaden Daniels
11:34getting a limo
11:34different than everyone else,
11:36but it's in there now,
11:37right?
11:37It makes sense.
11:38I mean,
11:39you can't convince me.
11:41I know that it's not
11:42the end-all be-all
11:42and it's probably
11:43not even as big a deal
11:44as any of us make it,
11:46but if you're Peters
11:47and you're sitting there,
11:48like in that conversation,
11:49I really like the kid.
11:50If over an hour
11:51and a half
11:51or 90 minutes,
11:52you see a lot
11:52that you like,
11:54it can't hurt his chances.
11:55Yeah, you're there
11:55in round seven.
11:57Yeah, you're looking
11:58at some names.
11:59You're going,
11:59all right,
11:59we like him, him, him.
12:00I did golf with that guy
12:01for 90 minutes
12:02and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
12:03I was pretty impressed.
12:03Yeah, I mean,
12:04listen,
12:05it'd be one thing
12:05if it'd be very Bruce Allen,
12:08right?
12:08If I played a round
12:09of golf with him
12:10and he was awesome
12:10at round two,
12:11dumb.
12:12But like at that point
12:13where the value
12:14was unbelievable,
12:14this is a seventh round flyer
12:16and he had,
12:17I did a little bit
12:18of reading on it.
12:19It was a bit confusing,
12:20but it was a red shirt
12:22eligibility NCAA kerfuffle,
12:25which, you know,
12:26I'm guessing from his time
12:27at Alabama State
12:28because he was at Alabama State
12:31for the first three years,
12:32which is not even D1
12:34to my knowledge,
12:36but it would have to be
12:38from that before
12:38his transfer to New Mexico.
12:40There was some kind of issue
12:43and I couldn't quite figure
12:44out what it was.
12:44He said it was he played
12:45too many games as a freshman
12:46or somewhere at some point,
12:48right?
12:48So they're going,
12:49is he really eligible or not?
12:50So then they said he wasn't.
12:51They only got to play
12:51in one game for Arizona,
12:53so there's not a ton of tape.
12:54But, you know,
12:55you look at some
12:57of the attributes,
12:57you look at some
12:58of the things,
12:58he ran a 4-4-5
12:59in the 40 at his pro day,
13:01which is pretty damn good
13:02when it comes to it.
13:03And, you know,
13:04looking from the year before,
13:05there was a lot to like
13:06from his 1,200-yard,
13:0817-touchdown season
13:09at New Mexico.
13:09So, yeah,
13:10again, a seventh-round flyer,
13:12as you said.
13:12If Ty goes to the guy
13:13that golfed with Adam Peters,
13:15fine by me.
13:16We got Joe B coming up
13:18in about 10 minutes
13:19here on Grant and Danny.
13:20We'll get to the Capitals
13:21and the Canadians
13:22Game 5 tonight.
13:23We just talked to the newest
13:25running back
13:25for the Commanders.
13:26I wanted to spend a minute
13:27on the running back room
13:28because everybody's
13:29making a lot out of them
13:31not taking an edge.
13:32And yesterday,
13:33after you went
13:33to your event at GW
13:34where you were emceeing
13:36last night,
13:36their athletics honors.
13:37How'd that go,
13:38by the way?
13:38It was great, man.
13:39Just blown away
13:40by how incredible
13:41some of these kids are.
13:42You know,
13:43where it's like,
13:43let's all have all
13:44the D1 athletes
13:45who have a 3-9
13:47and above stand up.
13:48Like, 50 kids stand up.
13:50You're like,
13:50that's incredible.
13:51You know,
13:51just a really nice,
13:53refreshing thing
13:54to honor the kids.
13:55But when you went
13:55across town
13:56to host that last night
13:57and I was solo
13:58the rest of the way,
13:59standing on,
13:59we were breaking down
14:00the class,
14:01he is adamant
14:03that they don't have
14:04to sign an edge.
14:05And in fact,
14:06reading between the lines,
14:07I would say he's predicting
14:08that they won't
14:09based on the ages
14:10of the guys available
14:11and how much
14:12they might help anyway.
14:13It just seemed to me
14:14like he thinks
14:15they may roll
14:16into the season
14:16with what they've got.
14:17And my point is,
14:18they can't.
14:20They have to sign
14:20Preston Smith
14:21or Matthew Judon
14:23or Zedarius Smith
14:24might be the best option.
14:25Someone that can come in here
14:26and get them
14:26eight or nine sacks.
14:28But everyone's focusing
14:29on edge.
14:30Running back's another area
14:31where we all kind of assumed
14:32by way of either free agency
14:34or very much more likely
14:36the draft.
14:36They would add speed.
14:38They would get somebody
14:38with some burst,
14:40someone who could hit
14:40a home run,
14:41someone that was going
14:42to come in here
14:42and change the pecking order.
14:46And it didn't happen.
14:48I love Merritt.
14:49I hope he cracks the roster
14:50in the 53.
14:51Probably ticketed
14:52for like the practice squad
14:53if he can really impress
14:54just where he got drafted
14:56unless there's an injury
14:57or something happens.
14:58But it looks right now, Danny,
15:00like it's...