Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff
The 2027 draft is the next one available; the NFL previously awarded next year’s draft to Pittsburgh.
[Per NBC Sports, the 2027 will be hosted by Washington, D.C. The current plan is to conduct the event on the National Mall. The official announcement will be made on Monday, by President Trump and Commanders owner Josh Harris.]
The 2027 draft is the next available one; the NFL previously awarded the 2026 draft to Pittsburgh.
The league, according to the emails, proposed having the main stage for the draft on Fourth Street between Madison and Jefferson drives, near the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum. A portion also could be held on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, where attendees could flow to the Mall. It’s not clear whether the plans have changed since [they were made public last year].
Other NFL team owners spoke during the Commanders’ sale process of the importance to the league of having a successful franchise in Washington. The stadium deal and the awarding of the draft serve as exclamation points to the success of that restoration project.
The first thing that stands out with Croskey-Merritt when watching him is his quickness and cutting ability. He doesn’t have elite speed, but he has a great burst and quickness that helps him accelerate to his top speed quicker than others. He combines that burst with a sharp cutting ability to make elusive jump cuts that make defenders miss as he accelerates quickly after the cut.
That sharp cutting ability combined with his burst and acceleration stood out at the Shrine Bowl too.
This time, the offense looks to work downhill with the right guard and center combining to double team the nose tackle up to the linebacker. The right tackle works up to the other linebacker while the tight end pulls and blocks the defensive end. Croskey-Merritt takes the snap inside initially, looking to run behind the double team from the right guard and center. But the defensive end on the outside crashes down the line before the pulling tight end can get to him, so Croskey-Merritt is forced to make an early cut to bounce his run outside.
As he makes that cut, Croskey-Merritt finds that the linebacker that was meant to be picked up by the double team read the play well and worked around the double team quickly to fill the lane. He also finds that the right tackle is struggling to block the other linebacker, leaving two linebackers unblocked in the area that he’s looking to bounce his run. So after a few steps outside...
