Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Criner attended Canyon Springs High School.
Shortly thereafter, on November 23, 2013, the Oakland Raiders placed him on injured reserve effectively ending his 2013 season.
[7] On April 14, 2016, the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League announced the signing of Criner in time for spring mini-camp.
[8] In his first year in the CFL, Criner played in 6 regular season games catching 12 passes for 269 yards with 1 touchdown.
He caught 7 passes for 177 yards in Ottawa's two playoff games en route to winning the 104th Grey Cup.