2025 NFL Draft Running Back Scouting Report (Part 3) : Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Ja'Quinden Jackson, Jarquez Hunter, Jaydon Blue, and Jordan James
Hey all,
Back with another part of the RB Scouting Series! For part 2, I'll be doing in-depth evals of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Ja'Quinden Jackson, Jarquez Hunter, Jaydon Blue, and Jordan James.
As usual, I have a video below if anyone prefers to watch the video version of the eval:
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Arizona
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 206 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 7 months
Class: Redshirt Senior
Overall Grade: 2.43/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2023 Stats:
Rushing: 189 carries; 1190 yards; 17 touchdowns; 2 fumbles
Receiving: 8 targets; 7 receptions; 72 yards; 1 touchdown
Vision: C
Contact Balance: B-
Elusiveness: B
Receiving: B
Pass Blocking: C-
Ball Handling: B-
Future role: C
RAS: Yellow Flag
Strengths:
Quick feet
Eye for cutback lanes
Solid contact balance
Good hands in limited opportunities
Burst and acceleration
Areas of Improvements:
Primarily ran zone runs
Tendency to take runs outside
Upright runner
Limited experience as pass catcher
Poor technique as pass blocker
Comp: Darrynton Evans
After needing to sit out the 2024 season due to confusion regarding how much Jacory Croskey-Merritt had remaining, he is finally, for real, seriously now, out of eligibility and has to leave college. Since he missed the majority of the 2024 season, I ended up having to do this eval based on his 2023 tape at New Mexico. So, I do recognize some of things he needed improvements in may have improved over the summer and would-be season. With that out of the way, Croskey-Merritt has good acceleration and burst that will earn him some attention. He has good movement skills in open space to navigate around the field and his quick jump cut can help him get around traffic. His 2023 tape was against lower quality opponents but he showed really quick movement ability to make defenders miss in space. Also, he has nifty feet and good balance that also lets him stay upright. He also does a good job keeping his legs moving to help give him a chance to finish runs falling forward. Though he had limited receptions, he has very good hands and can track the ball downfield. He also showed good awareness to adjust with the quarterback when they’re moving out of the pocket. When he did make one of his few catches, he showed good transition when switching to a runner. Also, while he isn’t the most reliable as a pass blocker, he at least didn’t lunge and whiff on his blocks too frequently. Finally, he primarily has run in zone schemes throughout his career but he shows a lot of comfort with these runs and has a good eye for cutback lanes.
While he has a lot of experience in zone runs, he has very limited experience in gap runs which may concern NFL teams. Also, he often benefited from some pretty big holes which also clouds how good his vision truly is. Some of his misreads of the leverage of his blocks and poor use of blockers past the line of scrimmage made me further concerned about his vision. When he sees a cutback lane, he can plant his foot and race through it. However, he can sometimes have trouble if that doesn’t present itself leading to him being too indecisive at the line of scrimmage. I’d also like to see him work his runs inside a bit more consistently as he has a tendency to just ride his run outside and run out of options. I think if he improved his tempo he could work to slow his process a little bit and give his blocks more time to open something up for him. Also, I think he can also work to hug his blocks more consistently. I’d also like to see him get his pads lower more consistently. He got away with it due to his level of competition but he will get punished for that in the NFL. He also needs to work on keeping his momentum forward as he can sometimes get caught moving sideways which gives up an extra yard or two he could have earned. While he looked good as a pass catcher, it was in very limited opportunities as I mentioned. If we ignore the 2024 season, he had just 40 total receptions across 5 seasons when he played the majority of those seasons. That’s pretty insignificant volume and makes me nervous about trusting his pass catching ability more. Regardless of how good it truly is, it may not matter if he doesn’t improve his pass blocking. He needs to work on establishing his base before contact and not losing his feet when he makes the block. He also needs to work on his timing with his punch to be able to deliver a clean hit. He can also add some more pop to his hit by getting more bend and leverage. Finally, he will also need to not be as frantic looking for a blocker as he can sometimes miss his assignment due to rushing up in the pocket and missing defenders crashing on the outside.
While there are a number of holes in Croskey-Merritt’s game, it’s unfortunate that the eligibility fiasco makes him a big “what if” situation. Maybe he looks good for all of 2024 like he did against New Mexico and we are looking at a good sleeper prospect. Or maybe he didn’t make too many improvements and his 2023 is still a telling story of his ability. Either way, I think you can make an argument either way but I believe in trusting what has actually been shown on the field leading to my lower expectations. As for a comp, I have Darrynton Evans as Croskey-Merritt’s comp. Both run a lot of zone runs and have good cuts, burst, and speed to pick up chunk yards. Also, both are very capable receivers, though to be fair Evans has more evidence of proving it in college. However, neither are great pass blockers and struggle with bouncing too many runs outside. Both also can make poor reads when they work inside and are upright runners to not withstand contact consistently. Evans dealt with some injuries early in his career and is now bouncing around the league. I’m not as concerned about the injuries for Croskey-Merritt but I am worried he could fail to stick with a team if he continues to have vision and pass blocking issues. I think if he improves at least one of those, he could be a stable role player for a team.
Ja’Quinden Jackson, Arkansas
Height: 6’2”; Weight: 229 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 7 months
Class: Redshirt Senior
Overall Grade: 1.81/4 (Likely Not Worth Rostering)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 149 carries; 790 yards; 15 touchdowns; 3 fumbles
Receiving: 58 targets; 42 receptions; 368 yards; 6 touchdowns
Vision: A-
Contact Balance: C+
Elusiveness: D+
Receiving: D+
Pass Blocking: D+
Ball Handling: D
Future role: C+
RAS: Yellow Flag
Strengths:
Vision between the tackles
Eye for cutback lanes
Good vision in the second level
Size and power
Very good drive when he drops pads
Areas of Improvements:
Upright runner
Unproven pass catcher
Poor pass blocker
Limited athletically
Ball security
Comp: Bo Scarbrough
Arkansas was admittedly a team that was a blind spot for me for the majority of the college football season so I got to have fresh eyes on Ja’Quinden Jackson after seeing he had some fans. I do see where some of the love comes from as he has great vision and is a patient runner. He has a good eye for leverage of his blocks and does a good job getting skinny through small holes despite his bigger size. He also does a good job hugging his blocks and has good awareness of newly formed cutback lanes. He is very comfortable running between the tackles but also can get big gains when he gets to the second level thanks to his good eye to use his blockers down the field. With his great size, he has a lot of strength and can dish out big hits when he lowers his pads. He also does a good job keeping his legs moving to help pick up yards regardless of his pad level. Though he is an inexperienced pass catcher, he seemed to do a decent job tracking the ball in the few instances it was thrown his way. Also, while he can have lapses in hand technique, he can make catches away from his body and isn’t limited to being a body catcher. As a blocker, he does a good job identifying his target and often uses good leverage in his block.
Unfortunately, as the grades likely indicate, I’m not a fan of Jackson and it was hard for me to find too many positives that I think will translate to the NFL. The first thing I want to discuss which was the biggest disappointment for me was his contact balance. At his size, I expected to see a bulldozer in every play. Instead, there were a lot of plays where he got stonewalled and couldn’t budge the defender. The issue is that he’s typically an upright defender and conceding that leverage will often lose you the battle. Also, he can sometimes find himself moving sideways too much behind the line of scrimmage which led to lost momentum and a number of losses. He is also really hard to be optimistic about in open space. He’s stiff and clunky at times when he tries to change direction and doesn’t have much wiggle to make defenders miss. So, that leads to him often defaulting to just lowering his shoulder and plowing through the defender. He also isn’t able to just easily avoid defenders since his top speed is pretty lacking. It’s also hard to be optimistic about his pass catching ability with just 23 career receptions. In the few receptions he had this season, he often had poor hand technique with clap attacks and looked a bit awkward in his transition upfield. He also didn’t look comfortable going out on routes which isn’t surprising given his limited experience in the passing game. His lack of experience also shows in his pass blocking as he tends to just lunge and hit instead of delivering clean hits. When he tries to give a clean hit, he often has a poor base and can struggle to get square with his target. Also, when he does give a hit, similar to his contact balance, it doesn’t have the power you would expect with his size. Finally, he absolutely needs to clean up his fumble issues. He didn’t have a single fumble in 2023 but had several fumbles in 2022 and 2024. He already has enough deficits so he can’t afford to also be turning the ball over at such a high rate.
Maybe I’ll be wrong on Jackson but I just have a hard time seeing him work in the NFL. His vision is really good but the rest is really rough. He projects as a likely two-down back but if he has poor contact balance and is fumbling the ball he will likely never see the field and is unlikely to make a roster. So, he needs to work to at minimum be a reliable, powerful two-down back. Anything else he can add as a pass catcher or pass blocker would be gravy but he needs to focus on what can earn him a roster spot. As for a comp, I have Bo Scarbrough as Jackson’s comp. Both have big size and great power but often don’t deliver on it due to poor pad level. Also, both have very good vision but can’t always execute what they see due to athletic limitations. Neither have a lot of experience as pass catchers and may not be trusted as pass blockers. Bo Scarbrough had a few fans his last draft cycle but he was a major work in progress who didn’t routinely play to his size. Scarbrough had a fairly short NFL career and I have concerns the same could happen to Jackson. Hopefully, I’m wrong, but I’m not overly optimistic about his outlook.
Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
Height: 5’9”; Weight: 204 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 4 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.57/4 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 187 carries; 1201 yards; 8 touchdowns; 2 fumbles
Receiving: 27 targets; 21 receptions; 155 yards; 1 touchdown
Vision: B-
Contact Balance: B+
Elusiveness: B-
Receiving: B-
Pass Blocking: C
Ball Handling: B-
Future role: C
RAS: Yellow Flag
Strengths:
Good vision in gap and zone
Great contact balance at his size
Has a downhill mentality
Experience running routes at receiver spots
Improved pass blocking
Areas of Improvements:
Improvements still need in pass pro
Hug blocks more consistently
Some hesitation around line of scrimmage
Lack of creativity
Inconsistent hand technique away from frame
Comp: Brandon Jackson
I’ve been watching Jarquez Hunter for a number of years and honestly, I was never overly impressed with him. However, though his grading might not indicate, I came away pretty impressed with him this season. I still was impressed with his great contact balance at his size. He runs with great pad level and constantly is moving his legs to get more yards than you would expect from a back his size. He has very good balance to survive arm tackles and does a good job making subtle movements to help lessen blows. While he isn’t able to do it every time, he can have some impressive drive at his size. His vision was also still solid and he has a good amount of experience in gap and zone runs. He also has a good eye for cutback lanes and has no hesitation to act on openings that he sees. Also, he does a good job reading the leverage of his blocks especially downfield as he does a good job adjusting his course to maximize the efforts of his blockers. His hands are also solid when the ball is thrown on his frame. Whether he makes the catch on or off his frame, he has a good transition from pass catcher to runner. Also, he has a bit of interesting upside with experience running routes from the slot and out wide. I know his pass blocking grade isn’t great, but this is a lot better than it was before. In previous seasons, he had a really hard time stopping anyone. This year though, he did a better job using more leverage and less lunging to deliver more quality blocks. He also does a good job getting square with his target and having active feet to help him keep up with his block.
However, his pass blocking still isn’t quite where it needs to be. He still will sometimes have too wide of a base which can affect his anchor. Also, he typically will have poor hand placement which affects how long he can hold onto his block. He also can sometimes miss a blocker shedding off their block from a lineman and miss an opportunity to help. Regardless, these points may not matter too much in the end as his smaller size may always limit him in pass protection situations. His size may also impact his contact balance especially when he needs to convert short yardage situations. He still would have some trouble in these situations in college as he will sometimes just try to drive through the line but often fail to get much of any gain. When he isn’t rushing things, he can sometimes be a bit hesitant around the line of scrimmage especially when things are congested which can kill his momentum and ability to drive forward. I also found him being a bit hesitant when trying to read second level defenders as well instead of bursting through the hole to get a gain and then working to make them miss after that. Speaking of making defenders miss, I would like to see a bit more creativity in open space and on cutbacks as he will often just resort to trying to outrun defenders instead of trying to make them miss. Since he has good, not great speed, he isn’t always able to be successful with this approach and leaves some yards on the field. I’d also like to see him do a better job hugging his blocks as I think that could help optimize some of his rushes. Also, while he can catch the ball reliably when it’s on his frame, when it’s not it can be a bit of an adventure at times. His hand technique tends to falter when catching the ball away from his body which is part of why he likes to use body catches. I think part of the issue is he might have some questionable ball tracking skills since he can sometimes seem a bit panicked and slow to get his hands up when catching balls thrown away from his body.
Overall, there isn’t a lot that might wow someone with Hunter but he’s become such a solid back with the improvements he’s made in pass protection. The big thing is for him to continue to refine his technique since his smaller size will make it hard for him to be helpful in those situations. However, if he can continue to improve his blocking, still have his good contact balance, and continue catching passes, he could be a good role player for a team for a long time. As for a comp, I have Brandon Jackson as Hunter’s comp. Both have good contact balance despite not being the biggest players. Both are also shifty players with a little bit of wiggle to sometimes make defenders miss in space. Also, both are good contributors as pass catchers to give them a bit more versatility. Speaking of that, outside of potentially their contact balance, neither of them would be considered great at any one thing, but are good in most areas which could earn them a role. However, their limited creativity and lack of great speed could cost them playing time. Jackson was primarily a contributor for the Packers and didn’t have what it takes to hold onto the starting running back spot when he had the opportunity after Ryan Grant’s injury. Hunter could also earn a role with a team and could be leaned on if the starter were to ever miss time similar to how Jackson was.
Jaydon Blue, Texas
Height: 5’9”; Weight: 196 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 21 years and 3 months
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 2.29/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 134 carries; 730 yards; 8 touchdowns; 4 fumbles
Receiving: 58 targets; 42 receptions; 368 yards; 6 touchdowns
Vision: D+
Contact Balance: C+
Elusiveness: B+
Receiving: A
Pass Blocking: C
Ball Handling: D-
Future role: C+
RAS: Green Flag
Strengths:
Smooth route runner
Good hands
Twitchy in space
Great speed and acceleration
Menace in open field
Areas of Improvements:
Tempo
Vision between the tackles
Contact balance
Anchor in pass blocking
Ball security
Comp: Joe McKnight
At the time of writing this, Jaydon Blue has been steadily picking up steam and will likely see his hype train take off after the combine. He has incredible speed and acceleration that makes it so easy for him to break a big gain if he’s given any opening. When he’s in open space, he is very twitchy and has a variety of moves he can use to escape defenders. Also, he does a good job following his blocks downfield which makes him especially deadly on screen and swing passes. He’s very impressive in most passing situations thanks to his versatility as a route runner. He has a fair amount of experience running effective routes from the slot and out wide. That “running effective routes” is big because a number of backs in this class have run routes from those spots but don’t get open as frequently as Blue does. He’s of course able to get open thanks to his athleticism but he also has good cuts and even runs his routes with tempo and deception that gives him a leg up against most of the other backs in the class. He also has a very good eye for open space to trail to. His ball tracking is also impressive as he’s very comfortable following the ball past the line of scrimmage and even through traffic. Once he makes the catch, he’s off to the races thanks to his fluid transition from pass catcher to rusher. When he isn’t able to race past defenders, he can typically finish runs going forward thanks to his constantly moving legs and good pad level. Finally, while he needs to improve his pass protection skills, he typically will set a good base and does a good job identifying his assignment.
Despite setting a good base in pass protection, Blue still has a lot of struggles and has a very poor anchor. Also, while he will set a good base before the block, he will often abandon it once contact is made. Part of the issue is that he has trouble getting square with his defender which leads to him panicking and not being able to get himself set again or deliver a clean block. Also, he will try to use his hands in pass pro but between him losing the defender and poor timing he will often need to settle on just giving sloppy bumps. While he is a great pass catcher, he is prone to drops with a drop rate of 10.9% which is high for running backs. From the drops I saw, it seemed like he sometimes drops his eyes before securing the catch leading to some of these drops. Also, though he is very quick and dangerous in space, he is sometimes uncreative in space and will often default to just trying to outrun the defenders. What really makes me worried about Blue in the NFL though are his contact balance and vision. Though he runs with good pad level and has adequate size, it’s rare to see him break a tackle. He just seems like he doesn’t have the strongest lower body or balance to help stay on his feet and was often taken down by the first defender. Something that I think would also help him is better peripheral vision for defenders to help avoid ankle tackles that often take him down. His vision is also very disappointing and was a big reason he wasn’t relied on in the rushing game for chunks of the season. He just really struggles to run between the tackles and seems to get overwhelmed when things are congested in front of him. He is just too indecisive and will often miss cutback lane opportunities that should be big gains for him. He also doesn’t always do a good job following his blocks and taking what the defense gives him. When he does follow his blocks, a lot of times it’s because the offensive line paved a huge hole. Speaking of, it’s hard to try to cut him slack as a rusher when most of his impressive rushes came on plays when the offensive line created a huge hole and runway for him to pick up speed and run through. When there wasn’t a big hole, he struggled to read the leverage of his blocks and didn’t look comfortable hugging his blocks. Finally, he often goes at one speed on his runs which also makes it difficult for blocks to have time to develop.
Blue is a player who will be a very niche player for an NFL offense. I have a hard time seeing him be more than a receiving back which may begin the conversation on if he should just take the next step and fully convert to receiver. If he stays at running back, I have a hard time seeing his contact balance and vision suddenly improve even with NFL coaching. However, if he moves to receiver, he might have a chance to play to his strengths and carve out a role with an offense that could even still include occasional handoffs. Either way, I think for Blue to be successful he will need to go to a team who understands how to get him in open space and let his athleticism take care of the rest. As for a comp, I have Joe McKnight as Blue’s comp. Both are great athletes who are threats in space. Also, both are very capable pass catches and are better receivers than rushers. Neither have good vision and play with poor contact balance. McKnight was a pretty poor NFL player and even Andy Reid couldn’t make him work. I have concerns Blue could have similar struggles but there are more creative offensive coordinators in the NFL now than ever before so maybe there is one who has a vision for Blue.
Jordan James, Oregon
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 205 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 21 years and 1 month
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 2.76/4 (Good Role Player)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 233 carries; 1267 yards; 15 touchdowns; 0 fumbles
Receiving: 33 targets; 26 receptions; 209 yards; 0 touchdowns
Vision: B-
Contact Balance: B
Elusiveness: B+
Receiving: B-
Pass Blocking: C
Ball Handling: A
Future role: C-
RAS: Red Flag
Strengths:
Balance
Slipperiness
Footwork in tight quarters
Receiving upside
Experience in gap and zone runs
Areas of Improvements:
Lack of pass blocking experience
Too passive in pass protection
Has struggled with drops
Can have some lapses with vision
Benefited from Oregon’s scheme
Comp: Javonte Williams
At the time of writing this, Jordan James has become a riser and may continue to pick up even more steam by the time this comes. There is a lot to be excited about with his great burst while also having pretty minimal touches which could help preserve those traits for his NFL career. Despite the limited number of touches, he has really good vision in congested areas especially the red zone when he relies more on reflexes and has less time to think. When he has more time, he is a very patient runner who does a good job pressing the line to use his acceleration and burst to win outside and break pursuit angles. He also does a good job of hugging his blocks and uses efficient footwork to maneuver through openings. While Oregon’s scheme definitely helped James, it also let him run a good mix of gap and zone runs. Despite the limited experience, he looked comfortable in both schemes which bodes well for the NFL. What also bodes well is his good understanding of the importance of finishing runs going upfield to ensure a gain. James also almost always has his momentum going forward to at least break even to help the offense get into more manageable downs. He also helps minimize losses by running with good pad level and consistently keeping his legs moving through contact. He also uses his great burst and footwork to slip through tackles and make defenders miss in open space. While he doesn’t have the raw number of carries as some of the other backs in this class, he is up there with the most snaps from receiver spots with 46 combined snaps from out wide and the slot. While some players are just out there running cardio, James can run pretty effective routes and has good awareness to stay active when he’s at the end of his route to try to move and get open. He’s also quick to get out on his route and has a smooth transition upfield when he secures the catch. While he needs more reps as a pass blocker, he does typically set a good base when he identifies his target which gives him something to work off of. Finally, his ball security is extremely impressive with no fumbles in his college career on 428 touches.
Despite a lot to be optimistic about, his inexperience does show at times. He is particularly raw as a pass blocker due to only 51 career pass block opportunities per PFF. He is often slow in identifying his target and way too passive which lets defenders win at the point of attack. He also does a fair amount of ducking in his blocks and will need to work on having cleaner blocks to not only be more effective but also keep him safe. Also, while he shows a lot of promise as a pass catcher, he does really struggle with drops with a drop rate of 16.1% this year, 11.8% last year, and 14.3% for his career. Now I do think this may be an easy fix as it seems related to him getting his eyes turned upfield before securing the catch. That is something that can be worked out with more reps so it could come to him in time but still could cost him some opportunities if NFL coaches aren’t patient. Speaking of patience, while he is generally a patient runner, he can sometimes rush things and lack tempo in his runs. That leads to him sometimes missing cutback lane opportunities and often bouncing runs outside to try to outrun defenders. He can also sometimes be iffy reading the leverage of his blocks especially downfield leading to some missed opportunities. Finally, a big reason why I was looking forward to doing a deep dive on James was to see how Oregon’s scheme benefited him. Unfortunately, it does kind of confirm my fears. For those who haven’t watched Oregon, their quick passing scheme often opens up the trenches by taking players away from the box or at least spreading them out to make easier holes. Due to the adjustments the defense has to make, the run game often runs with even numbers making things easy for the running backs to process and guarantee a gain. James does deserve credit for his ability to get those gains but also deserves scrutiny in the situations he struggled against more heavy boxes. There is a noticeable difference especially with his contact balance and elusiveness against heavier fronts as he can sometimes be a bit delayed anticipating contact as he’s trying to process things ahead of him. That noticeable issue is a bit of a red flag and adds more risk than I think people will see on initial watches.
I consider this to be a fairly high view of James but I can see others being even higher on him. He has a lot of potential but needs more reps to be able to deliver on that potential. If he goes to a team that wants to rush him, they may get frustrated with his growing pains. However, it would be an ideal situation for him to go to a place with an established veteran such as Minnesota or Houston to learn behind a veteran and have time to make small improvements over the course of his rookie season. As for a comp, I have Javonte Williams as James’ comp. Both are very elusive while also running with good pad level to help pick up extra yards. They both also lack great top speed but enough burst to pick up yards. Both are also capable pass catchers and can run routes at the receiver spots. However, both can struggle to use tempo in their runs to open holes. Also, both can struggle to get good drive against heavy fronts and weren’t great pass blockers. I was in the minority during the 2021 NFL Draft as someone who was much lower than consensus on Javonte Williams and I feel I was the same with James during the season. With the lackluster performance at the combine at the time of writing this, James is likely going to fall in consensus and likely be closer to where I feel he belongs. Maybe an NFL team decides to try to replicate his 2023 season by putting him in a committee like he was with Bucky Irving to try to maximize his impact. However, if he makes the adjustments needed thanks to more reps and NFL coaching, he could be given the keys to a backfield and become a capable starting running back for a team.