Is Mike Washington Jr. A Packers Option If He Falls To the Third Round?

With Josh Jacobs back for the 2026 season, running back doesn't stand out as a priority for the Green Bay Packers. Still, Jacobs was banged up last year, and Emanuel Wilson, who filled in splendidly, left in free agency. There are questions about who will be the No. 2 back behind Jacobs. If Arkansas' Mike Washington Jr. falls to the third round, would general manager Brian Gutekunst pull the trigger?

We mention Washington for a specific reason. Per NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Packers will be hosting Washington on one of their official pre-draft visits.

Mike Washington showed off his blazing speed at the NFL Combine, running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash. That was the fastest time of any running back at the combine and the eighth-best 40 time overall. That’s incredible, but speed alone won't win the day. So, what else has the Packers interested in bringing in Washington for a visit?

Washington has great size to go along with his phenomenal speed. At 6’1”, 230 lbs., the former Razorback was every bit as willing to lower his shoulders and plow through would-be tacklers as he was finding and navigating through creases to break free for big runs.

It should come as no surprise that, with that blend, Washington's Relative Athletic Score is off the charts. The RAS score for the super-intriguing running back comes in at 9.87 out of 10. That ranks 29th overall out of a possible 2,153 running backs dating all the way back to 1987.

Granted, Gutekunst went on the record last year, before the draft in Green Bay, saying the Packers don't use the RAS model.

“We don’t use RAS score at all,” Gutekunst said. “We don’t have anything like that. We do have some analytic scores that our analytic people do on their own that measures athletic traits and other things.”

Then it must just be a giant coincidence that the Packers routinely take players with extremely high RAS scores, regardless of position, under Gutekunst. There was a long-standing theory that Gutekunst must treat the RAS system as his own bible. It could be a coincidence. You can take his denial of using it at face value or entertain other suspicions, but the correlation is there at least, regardless of the causation.

So it's no surprise to anyone that Gutekunst is interested in Mike Washington Jr. to some degree.

Washington is projected by many to be a second-round pick. Are the Packers truly considering taking a running back that early with Jacobs returning, Chris Brooks re-signing on a two-year deal, and the never-ending hope that MarShawn Lloyd will finally get healthy? Or is this a case where Gutekunst thinks it's possible that Washington could slip to later on in Round 3?

It's also possible that Gutekunst and Co. have varying levels of interest and just want to learn more about the Arkansas product. While the RAS score correlates almost perfectly with Green Bay’s draft history, two elements of his game do not.

Washington coughed up the football to the tune of double digits throughout his career. As a five-year player in college and given his total touches, it's not entirely shocking. Still, 10 fumbles in the last three years is troubling to say the least. No team wants a player who puts the ball on the turf, and limiting fumbles is a top priority in Green Bay.

And, while Washington has the frame, pass blocking has never been his strength. Whether it's because of technique or a lack of desire, Washington has always gotten a thumbs down in that area of his game. In Matt LaFleur's offense, if a running back doesn’t show willingness in pass blocking, he’ll find himself on the bench. If it's a technique issue, perhaps the Packers can help develop that part of Washington's game. If it’s a temperamental problem, that could be a deal-breaker.

The speed and the frame, along with the fact that Washington seemingly got better at each pit stop in college, make him a coveted prospect in many circles. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com may have summed it up best.

Many teams will look for a bona fide starter and not a rotational back. Washington can also prove Zierlein wrong by outgrowing the rotational-back label. That’s less of a problem in Green Bay anyway, because LaFleur typically rolls with a two-back system. That hasn't been the case the past two years nearly as much as it was in the Aaron Jones era, when he partnered with Jamaal Williams and later A.J. Dillon. LaFleur likely wants to get back to that version of a ground game.

Would the Packers scoop up Washington at No. 52 overall if he's available, or is this a plan ahead in case he slips? That's anyone's guess at this point. Still, bringing Mike Washington Jr. in for a visit proves Green Bay is intrigued.