Raiders rookie RB Mike Washington Jr. understands all too well the severity of why he was drafted by Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Mike Washington Jr. in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft for a reason. And, Ashton Jeanty will benefit from it.
The Las Vegas Raiders ended up drafting what could be one of the best running backs in this rookie class. Mike Washington Jr. has it all and will be the perfect backup to Ashton Jeanty. Not only that, but they could be the next elite NFL duo. Bringing on Washington could help the Raiders get more out of Jeanty in 2026.
As we all know, Jeanty needs help too. That’s not to say he was bad, but bringing in another body to take on some of the workload could help his significance early in his career. Jeanty played as a rookie on the league’s lowest-ranked offense and still finished just under 1,000 rushing yards.
He ranked 7th in total carries with 266, but only 18th in total rushing yards. 780 of his 975 rushing yards came after contact, and he led the league with 43 broken tackles. Jeanty handled a significant workload as a rookie. Notably, he accumulated 750 carries in three years at Boise State and over 1,000 in four years overall. So, Washington understands why he is being brought on, and it’s to help Jeanty and fix the run game.
“I mean, I’m super excited to get rolling with him,” Mike Washington said to reporters. “All I could think of was thunder and lightning. So, super excited to be the one-two punch with him. And to really, as I said before, be a sponge and learn from him also at the same time.”
Raiders rookie Mike Washington brings perfect balance to the RB room
Jeanty is shorter than you would like in your starting running back; however, he is extremely strong and has some of the best contact balance you will find in the NFL. Not to mention, Jenaty is very good in the passing game. The Raiders need somebody who has what Jeanty doesn’t but also brings the perfect balance to the room.
Washington is 6’1, 223 pounds, with 33-inch arms and runs a 4.33 40-yard dash. He doesn’t quite have the backne Jenaty has or the cut-back ability. However, Washington does have that home-run play type of speed, where he can break a long one off at any moment because of how fast he is. Washington is also very good in pass pro, where Jeanty struggles despite playing there.
These two have the ability to be the next Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in terms of being an elite duo. But Washington should also push Jeanty to become the best version of himself while helping relieve him.
