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From Two-Star to Combine Legend: Washington’s Stock Rises Ahead of NFL Draft

Arkansas running back transforms from overlooked recruit to NFL Combine standout with historical performance
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. (RB20) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. (RB20) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

INDIANAPOLIS — There may not be another player going through the NFL Draft process who has done more for his stock than Arkansas Razorbacks running back Mike Washington.

Washington is a former 2-star recruit in the 2021 class out of upstate New York at Cicero-North Syracuse, a school not known to produce many standouts on the gridiron with three since 1960.

With the odds stacked against him from the jump, Washington ultimately thrived as a redshirt senior and parlayed it into an opportunity to achieve a goal every young football player dreams of.

Being selected in the NFL Draft.

Washington arrived at the combine with something to prove. By the time Saturday’s running back workouts concluded, he had positioned himself among the most talked-about risers in this year’s class.

Washington delivered one of the most impressive all-around testing performances by a running back in combine history, finishing at or near the top in every major explosion and speed metric.

Combine Results

• 40-yard dash: 4.33 seconds, No. 1
• 10-yard splits: 1.51 seconds, No. 1
• Vertical jump: 39 inches, No. 2
• Broad jump: 10 feet, 8 inches, No. 2

Entering the 2025 season, Washington was absent from most preseason draft boards after spending four years in Group of Five programs. Less than a year later, he finds himself firmly in the conversation as one of the top running backs available in April, according to Bleacher Report, completely fueled by a breakout season at Arkansas and a performance in Indianapolis that turned evaluators’ heads.

With hands covering his eyes, and tears running down his face, Washington told the NFL crew that he credited all the hard work and determination that got him to this moment.

"I'm so emotional, man," Washington said. "I have worked my whole life for this."

Long Journey to the Draft

His college journey began at Buffalo for the 2021 season as a freshman, playing in three games while recording 23 carries for 132 yards and one score. He earned the majority of the carries in 2022 with 625 yards and seven touchdowns while helping the Bulls to a 7-6 season and a Camellia Bowl berth.

He opted to enter the transfer portal, landing at New Mexico for the 2024 season where he finished as the team's second-leading rusher with career-highs in carries (157), yards (725) and touchdowns (8). Washington entered the portal one last time following the 2024 season with the hope of getting picked up by a Power Conference program.

While Washington initially committed to Utah, communication with the coaching staff dissolved, and decided to look elsewhere. That's when Arkansas came calling and he finally received his chance to prove himself at the Power Conference level.

Over the course of four seasons, Washington had never rushed for more than 52 yards against a P4 opponent. His career per rush average through four seasons of 4.39 yards on 420 carries.

Many dismissed him as a potential contributor in Arkansas' backfield mostly due to his history as a journeyman backup in Group of Five backfields. All he needed was an opportunity to thrive, and did exactly that in Bobby Petrino's offense.

"Coming out of high school, I was highly recruited. When I was a junior, I was highly recruited. But it was all G5 schools," Washington said following an Arkansas spring practice. "After that, COVID ended up hitting. I remember like it was yesterday. Just before COVID, Texas A&M wanted me to come to one of their camps. Me and my family, we felt once they could see how I move, they’d probably end up offering me. Other schools also.

"But COVID ended up hitting and in New York, they shut everything down. I believe Texas, too. So that kind of like ended everything."

Washington went on to a stellar season, getting better each week as he eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his college career.

Sam Pittman's firing might have inadvertently given Washington a larger role in the offense as he finished with four 100-yard performances over the final seven games, 1,296 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns. That led to him being named second team All-SEC to close out his college career.

When Petrino mentioned that Washington reminded him of former Arkansas running back Knile Davis, there was caution placed at the comparison. Guys like Davis don't grow on trees and the Razorbacks being able to evaluate and sign someone with that same combination of size, speed and physicality is rare.

The Hogs' former interim coach received some flak for how his offenses couldn't adapt to adjustments during the second half. However, the fact that Petrino can still evaluate at that level shows his coaching career has quite a bit more life to it.

With the NFL Draft now less than two months away, Washington has moved from an afterthought to a legitimate mid-round target with upward momentum. NFL GMs and scouts often place heavy value on verified speed and explosiveness from testing results and Washington’s numbers in Indianapolis will force decision-makers to revisit his film with a different lens.

What they will see is a back who grew more decisive as the season progressed at Arkansas, who finished runs with authority in SEC play and who showed the burst to separate in space. His 1,000-yard breakthrough was built on consistency against defenses full of future professionals.

The draft process often rewards traits as much as production and Washington now checks both boxes.

For a player who began his career at Buffalo without Power Conference offers, transferred twice in search of opportunity and entered last season off the radar, the next step feels far less uncertain.

From an MVP-level performance at the Senior Bowl to standout in Indianapolis, Washington arrived trying to prove he belongs in the conversation. Now, he should leave feeling confident as ever that he will be taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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