The Las Vegas Raiders added to their running back room with the selection of Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. in the fourth round with the 122nd overall pick.
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Washington, who the Raiders moved up to get by trading picks Nos. 134 and 208 to the Atlanta Falcons, will serve as a complement to last year’s first-round pick Ashton Jeanty.
It was a priority for new coach Klint Kubiak, who utilized two backs in Seattle and talked about wanting to take some of the pressure and wear-and-tear off Jeanty.
The grade: A-
Washington is a home run threat who was the fastest running back at the combine.
He’s got great size, but doesn’t always use it to finish runs.
Washington also has a great deal of work to do in pass protection if he wants to play on all three downs.
But the top-end speed is appealing. He had 16 plays of 20 or more yards last season, which placed second in the SEC.
Washington has also shown some effectiveness in short yardage.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
