Washington Waits Longer Than Expected, but Dream Continues for Hogs' Running Back

Arkansas running back Mike Washington knew the second he glanced at the clock and saw 4.33 on the timer that his dream was going to come true.

There on the combine floor in Indianapolis he collapsed, overwhelmed with emotions. After years of fighting his way to earn a single season in the SEC, Washington had just done what was needed to earn his way into the NFL.

For the better part of a month, the hype machine swirled around Washington. At 6-foot-1, 223 pounds with that kind of speed to go with the production he put up at Arkansas with 6.4 yards per carry rushing and 8.1 yards per reception, he had proven himself to be everything an NFL team would want in a tailback.

Then came the comparisons.
Adrian Peterson.
Derek Henry.

Unfortunately, after the entire world thought he would go in the second or third round as the third ranked back in the draft, the league's devaluation of the position took hold. A pair of running backs from Notre Dame went on opposite ends of the first round and then silence.

Finally, San Francisco decided to kick the tires on a running back at the end of the third round, but, surprisingly, it was Indiana's Kaelon Black who got the call, kicking Washington's career destiny down the road yet another day. That wrapped a historic first three rounds with the fewest running backs drafted in the modern era.

However, after a longer than expected wait, the young man who had to claw his way to Buffalo, to New Mexico State and finally to Arkansas where he had to fight his way into a starting role, has realized the dream. His storybook will continue to be written as a Raider in Las Vegas.

Washington credits COVID-19 for his circuitous path to the NFL. He thought there was a good chance he might end up at Texas A&M out the gate, but once the lockdown kicked in, that became nothing more than a dream.

"When I was a junior, I was highly recruited, but it was all G5 schools," Washington said. "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.

"[Lockdown] ended everything. I wasn't able to visit any schools. Actually, when I had transferred to New Mexico State, that was my first official visit that I had ever taken. COVID kind of ruined a lot of things, but we're still here."

Even after trekking all the way from Buffalo to New Mexico State, he still was denying his own destiny of playing in the SEC. He committed to Utah instead, and, despite feeling like the Utes coaches really weren't that into him, he was going to stick by them out of principle.

However, the feeling of indifference grew too much, so he took a visit to Arkansas on a whim.

As soon as he got to Fayetteville, he felt everything that was missing at Utah

"I just felt like I was wanted, and that was like one of the main things — going somewhere where you're wanted, where they want you to be on the field," Washington said. "So that was like one of the main things that led me to come here."

There was also his desire to prove himself on the biggest stage.

"[Arkansas running backs coach Kolby Smith] asked me, he's like, 'You want to play in the SEC?'" Washington said. "And it was like, one of them things was like, yeah, it was a no brainer."

Ironically, it was a game against Texas A&M that Washington credits with giving him the confidence he could play at a higher level his final year.

It was against that same Texas A&M team at Arkansas when NFL scouts realized he could play at an even higher level. On the first play of the game, he powered his way through a highly touted defensive line for 15 yards off the left side.

On the next play, he found a crease and outran the Aggies all the way to the 10-yard line. Two plays, 65 yards in a brilliant display of power and speed against a respected defense.

By game's end, he had 147 yards on 16 carries, nearly 10 yards per carry. He also had three catches out of the backfield to show he has that in his toolbox also.

Now, he gets on a plane for the first time as a professional bound for Las Vegas, his dream realized. It took longer than he would have liked, just like his journey to Arkansas.

However, just like his journey to Arkansas, he is headed to a team that truly wants him. Now he just needs an opportunity to prove he belongs at yet another level once again.

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