Raiders rookie RB Mike Washington Jr. brings power, speed, tenacity

Allow Mike Washington Jr. to explain the way he thinks with the football in his hands as a rookie running back for the Las Vegas Raiders standing 6-foot-2-inches and 228 pounds.

“Downhill runner. Punishing back that’s able to run you over, able to make you miss and then once you get to the second level, hard to catch.”

Yep. Pretty much.

Washington’s inward analysis Tuesday at Intermountain Health Performance Center — hours before the Raiders conducted their public practice at Allegiant Stadium — aptly aligns with how he’s fielding carries through his first two weeks of football practice as a pro. A fourth-round draft pick from Arkansas who averaged 6.4 yards per carry last season (for 1,070 yards), Washington is bound to spell Ashton Jeanty with power, speed and tenacity.

So far, mostly with the second-team offense, save for occasional first-team reps, Washington runs the ball with force and embraces collisions at the point of attack. He’s also flashing breakaway speed as the fastest running back (with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL’s annual scouting combine) in the rookie class.

“Obviously, he’s got great burst. Good footwork,” Jeanty said last month of Washington. “He’s continuing to get better each and every single day. I love what I’m seeing from him and he’s continuing to up the standard in the running back room and help make it a better room.”

Jeanty as the No. 6 pick last year year is positioned for the Raiders as their bell-cow back and figures to handle a bulk of the workload as a ballcarrier and pass catcher from the backfield. He rushed for 975 yards last season, logging 57.4 yards per came with the second-leading rusher from the tailback spot, Raheem Mostert, totaling 104 yards and 8.7 per game.

Enter Washington, 23 and 11 years younger than Jeanty’s former backup. He first played three years at Buffalo, than a year apiece at New Mexico State and Arkansas.

Asked about Washington and the way their skill sets mesh together, Jeanty said, “I think just being two great rushers. It’s always great to come out the game and have another guy come in there and there’s no drop down. I truly believe he’ll be able to help us win some games.”

Washington said he “started off slow” learning coach Klint Kubiak’s zone-run (and play-action) system, but has since found comfort in training camp — underscoring his stature with decisiveness. He said he’s focused on “really just being physical” and “coming in and running with a physical mindset” because “when you run with a physical mindset, nobody wants to tackle me, especially being a bigger back, nobody really wants to deal with that physicality.”

As the offensive coordinator last season for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Kubiak balanced the workloads for running backs Kenneth Walker (221 carries in 17 games) and Zach Charbonnet (184 carries in 16 games before a season-ending injury) for the NFL’s 10th-best rushing offense. In other words, though Jeanty will be featured, it’s possible Washington can run his way into a sizable workload.

With power, speed and tenacity.

“Mike’s a guy that’s come in and has grown a lot since OTAs,” Kubiak said.

“I see a self-motivated young man that knows there’s a lot of big football ahead of him and has a long way to go, but a man that’s willing to put in the work.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.