Raiders rookie RB Mike Washington Jr. understands all too well the severity of why he was drafted by Las Vegas

May 2, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (30) runs through a drill during a Rookie Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

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.”