Arkansas Running Back Mike Washington May Have Taken Draft Hit Thursday Night

Arkansas running back Mike Washington learned a harsh lesson Thursday night during the first round of the draft.

The projections were almost so solid that he would end up in Seattle with the defending world champion Seahawks at the end of the second round that no one would have blamed him if he had his agent peak around to see where some of the more desirable neighborhoods were near the stadium.

For the record, Bellvue would have been the best option for finding a pad with a high quality lifestyle and reasonable drive to work each day, but that won't matter for Washington now. That's because Seattle jumped the gun and decided to go ahead and take its much needed running back at a significantly higher price in the first round.

Rather than wait to pick Washington in the second after he showed in the combine that he is of comparable value to any running back in the draft, Seattle took Notre Dame's Jadarian Price with the final pick of the first round.

First Price sends Washington's coach packing at Arkansas in the fall, sending his season into a tailspin. Now he takes Washington's NFL landing spot, sending his draft status into a tailspin.

The Hogs' leading rusher impressed scouts with his breakaway speed on the edges in the SEC as he amassed 1,070 rushing yards and 226 receiving yards. That was 6.4 yards per carry and 8.1 yards per reception, which was eye raising even in a down year for the SEC.

However, even more eye raising was what Washington did once he got to the combine to cement his status as an elite prospect. There he ran a 4.33 dash at an official 6-foot-1, 223 pounds.

That immediately got people to turn on the tape, tune out quarterback Taylen Green and focus strictly on Washington. What they saw led to comparisons to Adrian Peterson and Derek Henry.

He became the hot name in the draft.

Still, theoretically there are teams interested, which should prevent a fall from the end of the late second round, early third round projections. The issues will be the lack of value teams place on the position and whether teams actually need a rookie running back.

The good thing is with both Notre Dame running backs off the board, that adds a little pressure to snag what little value there is left at running back. That would mean a mini run on backs rather than a free fall.

It just depends on which NFL execs get an itchy trigger finger. Right now, ESPN lists Washington as the best remaining running back and the No. 36 player overall.

The team most anxious to take Washington appears to be Denver. The Broncos have Arkansas ties through their ownership with Rob Walton, but that likely has little to do with this.

Instead, Denver had to sit idly by in the first round without a pick and are anxious to make up for it by landing extra value in the second or third rounds. Because of this, word is out Denver may trade a couple of fourth round picks to go up and get him.

Other teams that showed interest by having Washington visit included the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He also met with several teams on Zoom. It's possible one of the Zoom teams will pick him as a way of having shielded their extreme interest to keep teams from trading up past them.

Either way, it is unlikely Washington lasts beyond Friday night.

Razorbacks fans can watch the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft at 6 p.m. on ABC and ESPN.

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