Somehow New Mexico State rostered two of the better backs in this class at the same time, with Mike Washington Jr. and Seth McGowan sharing a backfield in 2024. Washington made the move to Arkansas and put together a strong season despite the program's struggles. As a tall, upright, powerful runner with excellent speed, the stylistic comparison to King Henry feels natural. When Washington is rolling, he is a punishing runner capable of breaking a 50-yard run on any given carry. His contact balance is a major concern though. He went down too easily in college, and for a back built the way he is, you would like to see him stay on his feet more.
Washington's best model comps are Keaontay Ingram or Zamir White, which like his pre-draft score, should not inspire confidence. He is an undeniable physical specimen, but the model suggests the actual running back skills may not match the athleticism. He doesn't grade out as an above-average runner or receiver, and his pass protection scores are notably low as well. His overall ranking is being propped up almost entirely by projected draft capital and some solid rushing grades despite a tough SEC schedule.
If he goes in the second round, he will end up with a pretty sizable gap between our pre-draft projection and his eventual Prospect Score. That puts him in less than ideal company of backs like Devin Singletary, Darrynton Evans, and Miles Sanders who despite day 2 draft capital disappointed in the NFL. If your league mates are overvaluing Washington, you might be better off snagging Jonah Coleman or one of the Penn State backs a round later.
Film Notes
Rushing
- Very large and powerful lad, generates power quickly, breaks a fair amount of tackles
- Patient, but doesn't read his blocks correctly consistently
- Long speed is very apparent especially in the open field
- A lot shiftier than expected
- Long strides lead to getting tripped up by ankle tackles pretty often, wish he was able to stay on his feet a bit better
Receiving
- Natural hands, mostly ran wheel routes
- Devastating runner after the catch
Pass Blocking
- Its okay, sometimes isn't very useful
- Could use coaching here, don't think effort is the issue