The Jacksonville Jaguars have a massive void in their backfield, and they might look to the SEC to fill it. After Travis Etienne Jr. returned to his native Louisiana on a four-year deal with the New Orleans Saints in free agency, Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone moved quickly to sign veteran Chris Rodriguez Jr. According to a recent projection, they could find exactly that on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mike Washington Jr. Blends Prototypical Size and Elite Speed
In his April 2026 mock draft for PFSN, analyst Jacob Infante connected Jacksonville with Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr., a massive, explosive runner who tore up the NFL Scouting Combine.
“You don’t find 6-foot-1, 223-pound running backs who can run a 4.33 40-yard dash very often,” Infante wrote. “That’s exactly what you have in Mike Washington Jr., who’s a dynamic straight-line runner with raw speed and power to project as a high-upside swing for RB-needy teams on Day 2 of the draft.”
Washington’s athletic profile is undeniable. He paired that blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash with a 1.51-second 10-yard split, a 39-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-8 broad jump. That functional athleticism translated to the field during a breakout 2025 campaign in Fayetteville. In his lone season with the Razorbacks, Washington ranked 10th overall in PFSN’s CFB RB Impact Metrics with an 88.6 score.
As the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator scouting report detailed: “Mike Washington Jr. was one of the nation’s most efficient runners in 2025, securing a strong PFSN RB Impact grade of 88.6 while rumbling for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns on over six yards per carry. Washington took stops at Buffalo and New Mexico State along the way to Arkansas, and thrived against SEC competition in his final season.”
Evaluating Mike Washington Jr.’s Fit with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Washington is built for downhill punishment, something the Jaguars lacked consistently last season. He brings a 29-touchdown collegiate resume to the table, proving he knows how to find the paint.
The scouting report highlights his ceiling as an intelligent, bruising runner: “At around 6’1″, 225 pounds, he’s a big-bodied one-cut back with explosive north-south athleticism, the vision to quickly identify initial lanes, and the pressing IQ to bait defenders out of corridors while keeping speed.”
He isn’t a flawless prospect. As the evaluation notes, his “size and burst come at the cost of high-end short-area agility and hip fluidity, and he must improve his ball security at the next level.”
But the foundation is rock solid. The report concludes that he is “an instinctive runner who knows how to maximize his skill set, and can finish runs with physicality and punishing leg churn. He’s also a competent pass-catcher with RAC chops on swings and screens, and he holds up his end as a pass protector.”
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“In the immediate timeline, Washington projects as a physical rotational RB and sparkplug, but has scheme-diverse starter and volume upside with his build, burst, footwork, and intangibles.”
Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen has a history of maximizing diverse skill sets. Adding Washington would give the franchise an immediate rotational enforcer and a legitimate long-term building block for the post-Etienne era.
