Is Mike Washington Jr the big play threat the Commanders offense needs?

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 11: Mike Washington #4 of the Arkansas Razorbacks avoids a tackle by Edwin Spillman #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Cory Knowlton/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images

Mike Washington Jr, RB

**School:**Arkansas | Conference: SEC

College Experience: Redshirt Senior | **Age:**22

Height / Weight: 6’1” / 223 lbs

Projected Draft Status: 2nd to early 3rd round

Commanders Meeting: Senior Bowl

Player Comparison: Adrian Peterson

College Statistics

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 4/12/2026.

College Statistics – Advanced

2025 Rushing Stats: 6.4 Y/A | 3.86 YAC/Att | 34 Forced Missed Tackles | 3 Fumbles

2025 Receiving Stats: 77.8% Rec | ADOT 0 yds | 3.4% Drops | 8.7 YAC/Rec | 0.99 Y/RR

Player Overview

Washington is the son of a non-profit CEO and a police detective, and grew up in Utica, NY. He started boxing at a young age, and started playing football at age 8. He was an all-state running back in high school and also played safety.  He was a two-star recruit coming out of high school, and received scholarship offers from Colorado State and other FBS programs, and committed to Buffalo, which was the only school he could travel to, locally, due to COVID.

Washington played under four different RB coaches and 3 head coaches in 3 years with the Bulls. He transferred to New Mexico State in 2024, where he logged 697 yds and 8 TDs as the team’s second RB. Then he transferred to Arkansas, where he had his breakout season to end his college career.

Washington is a muscled-up power back with elite burst and speed.  He is a patient runner with a good jump-cut and downhill running style, to suit power and gap running schemes. His burst and long speed make him a breakaway threat whenever he finds an open running lane, and he makes his own opportunities by trucking defenders. He is difficult to bring down and harder to catch.

He is not much of a route runner, but is a dangerous YAC weapon on screens and check-downs.  Washington has the tools to become an effective pass protector, but will need to put in the work to develop that aspect of his game.

Strengths

• Highly productive rushing against top level competition in 2025 – 6.4 Y/A, ranked 4th among 79 draft eligible FBS backs (min 80 carries)
• Generates explosive plays – 48.3% of yardage came on runs of 15 or more yards, 91st percentile of 230 FBS RBs (min 75 carries)
• Fast, with second gear to beat pursuit – ran the fastest 40 and 10 yard split times of RBs at the Combine
• Decisive one-cut runner, employs jump-cuts behind the line and impressive start/stop ability to freeze defenders in space; patient to set up blocks and explodes through gaps
• Power and contact balance to break tackles, run over defenders and push the pile
• Durable, built for volume carries between the tackles, no reported injury history
• Speed to separate as a receiver and gain yards after the catch, large catch radius and soft hands

Weaknesses

• Sudden and shifty, but not an elusive runner, rotational stiffness limits agility, struggles to cut upfield suddenly on outside zone runs
• Ball security issues – 1.8% Fumble Rate in 2025 was 11th percentile among 165 FBS RBs (min 100 carries); 1.7% career Fumble Rate
• Inconsistent pass blocking – has the length, power and aggression, but needs to improve technique

Let’s See His Work

How He Fits on the Commanders

Commanders’ offensive coordinator, David Blough, came up as a player and coach absorbing influences from Kevin O’Connell’s version of the West Coast Offense in Minnesota and Ben Johnson’s Earhardt-Perkins style offense in Detroit. The details of Blough’s offensive scheme in his first season as offensive coordinator will be a surprise.  But we’ve been told to expect an under-center focus, and that’s likely to go with a balanced rushing attack to set up play action.

O’Connell’s and Johnson’s schemes both feature a balance of inside runs (Johnson – gap, O’Connell – zone) and outside zone rushing attacks. Washington has the skillset to be an explosive, big play threat between the tackles on inside runs, to complement the speed that Bill Croskey-Merritt brings to the perimeter.  His ability to gain YAC as a receiver provides an outlet for Jayden Daniels and another weapon in the arsenal.   He will need to develop as a pass blocker to become a three-down back. But he has the skills to upgrade the Commanders’ rushing attack from day one as a rotational contributor.

Off the field, coaches report a strong work ethic and locker room presence.  According to one NFL scout: “The staff said he put his head down and worked from the moment he arrived … had no trouble fitting in … left an imprint on the program.” He graduated with a degree in public health from Buffalo and is working on a Masters’ from Arkansas.  He could be the type of player who earns a Commander tag.

The big knock on Washington is ball security, which is a genuine concern.  However, it is worth pointing out that his pro comp, Adrian Peterson, struggled with the same issue throughout his storied career, including 27 fumbles in the four seasons when he made first-team All-Pro and four fumbles in the season he was league MVP.

I have to confess, I put my hand up to write this profile at the start of the draft season, when Washington had a fifth-round consensus projection, which seemed like insane value at the time.  Then he ran the fastest 40 of the RBs at the Combine, confirming the speed that was evident on tape, and shot up draft boards.  He has settled back to 71 on the consensus board at the time of this writing, which coincidentally is Washington’s third-round pick. That would be the highest that a team with Adam Peters as personnel executive has ever drafted a running back.

There are other backs the Commanders might be considering on Day 3. But Washington’s big play ability might be too good a value to pass up in the third round.