Packers bringing in combine’s fastest running back for an official visit
· Yahoo Sports
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reported on Friday that the Green Bay Packers, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, will bring in Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. on a pre-draft visit. At the moment, the Packers have some questions at the running back position, as MarShawn Lloyd has only been able to play one game in two years for the team and running back Chris Brooks isn’t much of a ball-carrier behind Josh Jacobs.
Washington had a breakout season at Arkansas, his first year in the SEC. Before his stint with the Razorbacks, he played three seasons at Buffalo and one year at New Mexico State. At New Mexico State, he split carries with fellow future 2026 draft selection Seth McGowan (transferred to Kentucky) in 2024.
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Arkansas struggled mightily in 2025, in part because its entire offense basically revolved around Washington and quarterback Taylen Green on the ground. Former NFL head coach Bobby Petrino, who started the year as the team’s offensive coordinator before being named interim head coach, did his best to scheme up Washington and Green, but the line (and defense) wasn’t of much help.
Despite the lack of help, Washington was named a second-team All-SEC running back after rushing for 1,070 yards on 167 carries (6.4 yards per carry).
At the combine, Washington ran a pretty incredible 4.33-second 40-yard dash (along with a 39” vertical jump) at 6’1” and 223 pounds. Notably, the Matt LaFleur Packers have very much gone out of their way to target running backs in the 220-pound-plus range. According to NFL.com, Washington’s testing ranks in the 95th percentile of backs all-time and is the second-best mark of a running back from the 2026 class.
The big flaw in Washington’s game is that he’s only a ball-carrier, sort of the opposite of Brooks. He has some of the worst pass protection reps for a back in this class, in part because Arkansas didn’t ask Washington to do it much, and he wasn’t featured frequently as a pass-catcher either.
There are ways to make ball-carriers work, though, if you’re willing to make the commitment to these types of backs. For example, Derrick Henry is really more of a ball-carrier than an every-down back. It wasn’t uncommon for the Tennessee Titans to replace Henry with a fullback on third downs to help with pass protection. The Seahawks, who are going to bring in Washington, dealt with a similar situation with Kenneth Walker, too.
At the moment, Washington is ranked the third-best running back in the 2026 class behind just Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price of Notre Dame. Overall, he’s listed as the 66th player in the draft per the consensus draft board.