Mike Washington Jr. RB Arkansas |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #4 ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/25/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.33 seconds (98%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #4 | |
| ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |
| Last Updated: 03/25/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.33 seconds (98%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 84.8 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
83% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Rushing: |
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84% |
| Break Tackles: |
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81% |
| Receiving/Hands: |
|
62% |
| Pass Blocking: |
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39% |
| Run Blocking: |
|
54% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#72
Position rank:
#3 (RB)
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| College Games: 50 College Snaps: 1693 | ||
247 RATING: 78/100
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quinshon Judkins - Ohio State |
|
75% |
| Brian Robinson Jr. - Alabama |
|
71% |
| Braelon Allen - Wisconsin |
|
70% |
Drafted: ROUND: 4 - Pick Number: 122 (LV)
Draft Profile: Bio
A 92-yard run at Bowling Green that still stands as Buffalo's longest in program history hinted at the kind of speed Mike Washington Jr. always had, but it took years and three schools before the rest of the football world caught on. He came out of Cicero-North Syracuse High School in New York as a two-way player who racked up 1,423 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior while contributing 31 tackles and three interceptions on defense, earning All-State honors and MVP of the Regional Championship Game. ESPN gave him three stars, but 247Sports had him as a two-star prospect, and he headed to Buffalo in 2021 without much fanfare outside of Central New York.Washington redshirted his first year in Buffalo, carrying the ball just 23 times across three games for 132 yards and a score. By 2022, though, he had taken over as the Bulls' lead rusher, piling up 625 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 23 catches out of the backfield. His 2023 campaign was less eventful with 362 yards as a rotational piece, and he entered the transfer portal after the season, landing at New Mexico State for 2024. With the Aggies, he picked up steam again: 713 yards, eight touchdowns, and a pair of 100-yard games, including a 152-yard outburst against Western Kentucky.
The biggest leap came when Washington transferred to Arkansas for his fifth-year senior season in 2025. Starting all 12 games for the Razorbacks, he became just the 16th player in program history to crack 1,000 rushing yards, finishing with 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns on 167 carries while chipping in 28 receptions for 226 yards and another score. He strung together consecutive 100-yard games against Tennessee (131 yards) and Texas A&M (147 yards), the first Razorback to accomplish that against SEC opponents since Alex Collins did it in 2015. His performance at the Senior Bowl turned heads, and then his NFL Combine showing blew the doors off entirely: a 4.33-second 40-yard dash (the fastest by a running back since 2024), a 39-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-8 broad jump.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Rare size-speed combination at 223 pounds with verified elite straight-line speed that translates to consistent chunk plays at the second level and beyond.
- Runs downhill with real conviction and forward lean, consistently churning out yards after contact and punishing defensive backs who try to play hero in the hole.
- One-cut runner who trusts his reads, plants, and goes, turning designed inside zone and gap concepts into explosive gains because he refuses to waste time behind the line.
- Led the SEC with 16 plays of 20-plus yards in 2025, proving the big-play ability isn't just a combine trick; it shows up against quality competition on Saturdays.
- Loose hips and smoother lateral movement than you'd expect from a 223-pound frame, allowing him to glide through interior traffic and swerve past second-level defenders.
- Reliable hands on checkdowns and swing passes with 28 catches in his final season, giving coordinators a usable weapon on the edges and underneath coverage.
- Physical finisher who drives through arm tackles and falls forward; the Texas tape is a highlight reel in itself, including putting safety Michael Taaffe flat on his back in the run game.
- Combine and Senior Bowl performances validated what the tape already suggested: this kid competes with a chip on his shoulder and rises to the moment when the lights get brightest.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Ball security is a real red flag with ten career fumbles across his last three seasons of significant action, including three during his 2025 campaign at Arkansas.
- Pass protection is well below the standard needed for a three-down role right now; he lunges and bends at the waist rather than sitting down and striking with leverage.
- Can be a beat late to trigger through the hole on outside zone concepts, needing extra gathering steps to redirect that work against the timing NFL defensive fronts demand.
- Not a sudden or elusive runner in tight quarters, lacking the ankle-breaking wiggle to make defenders miss when the box gets crowded and space disappears.
- Route-running beyond simple checkdowns and screens remains raw, which will cap his involvement in passing situations until he expands his understanding of route concepts.
Scouting Report: Summary
Washington is a difficult evaluation because the tools are so loud but the full picture still has some rough edges. The speed is absurd for his frame. When he clears the line of scrimmage and gets to his second gear, he can simply outrun pursuit angles that most backs his size cannot. His best football came in the SEC in 2025, not at Buffalo or New Mexico State, and that trajectory matters. The rushing production jumped dramatically both in volume and efficiency when he faced the toughest competition of his career, which tells you something about his competitive wiring and ability to translate physical gifts against high-caliber talent.The fit question comes down to scheme. Washington is at his best in gap and power-based concepts where the offensive line creates a defined lane and he can use his one-cut decisiveness to attack it with violence. Outside zone asks him to do things he's not built for right now: read, press, redirect, and bend. He doesn't have the lateral quickness to consistently win on the edge in those schemes, and his triggering can be a tick slow when the play design asks him to be patient before cutting back. In a system that leans on inside zone, counter, and downhill power, though, he becomes a different animal. Pair him with a competent blocking unit, call his number 10-15 times on early downs, and he will produce chunk plays and impose a physical tone on a game.
The pass protection deficiencies and fumble issues are real concerns that will limit his early-down ceiling and make coaches nervous about trusting him in critical situations. He is not a finished product as a three-down back. But the upside package is tantalizing: an explosive, physical runner with verified elite speed who improved every single year and saved his best production for the best competition he faced. The Combine performance didn't create his stock; it confirmed what the Arkansas tape already showed.
Mike Washington Jr. percentiles vs other Running Backs (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Mike Washington Jr. (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
66.8
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
3.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.