Ashton Jeanty, despite an awful surrounding situation, did a lot for the Las Vegas Raiders as a rookie. And with a better supporting cast and a coach like Klint Kubiak who knows how to teach the ground game, Jeanty can do even more now and in the future.
But he can’t do it all alone.
That’s why the Raiders made it a point to find a complementary piece to Jeanty this offseason. When nabbing a veteran on the free agent market didn’t materialize, Las Vegas opted for the draft and selected a talented and physically overpowering player.
Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr., after being picked in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, is now a member of the Silver and Black. During his virtual media availability that took place just minutes after he was picked, he touched briefly on his goals.
"(I’m) looking to be a legend. I'm going to be a legend," Washington Jr. said.
Las Vegas Raiders RB Mike Washington Jr. is not shortchanging his NFL dreams
Raiders.com reporter Paul Gutierrez, of course, had to follow up on that. He caught up with Las Vegas’ promising new backfielder, and Washington Jr. proved that this comment wasn’t an aberration. He responded, again, with authority.
"It means I'm gonna do everything that I say," Washington told Gutierrez. "I'm looking to put on a Gold Jacket, you know? And I know it's big words, but I have high expectations of myself, and l've always been that way.”
This may seem like tough talk or Washington Jr. trying to sell himself to Raider Nation after unexpectedly dropping to Day 3 of the draft. Many thought he’d be the third running back taken and a lock for the third round. But Washington Jr. hasn’t let that change his perception of himself.
"Some people may hear this and they laugh, but people have been laughing at me my whole life,” Washington Jr. said. “So l always use that as a chip on my shoulder just to prove everybody wrong. So that's what I mean by that - I have super high expectations of myself and I will exceed those."
Don’t mistake confidence for hubris or hard headedness, though. Washington Jr. had a circuitous route in college to the NFL, as he grinded it out at New Mexico State and Buffalo before starring in the SEC. He’s not an overnight success and wasn’t a silver spoon prospect.
He perfectly threads the needle between self-confidence and an understanding that he needs to learn. Washington Jr. told Gutierrez that he is both excited to play with and learn from Jeanty, who is now the veteran in the room he’s walking into.
"Really, honestly, just complement him," Washington Jr. said of playing with Jeanty. "Then being a sponge. Being a sponge will be my biggest asset because I'm a huge sponge and I like to learn from everybody.”
When combining all that Washington Jr. brings to the table physically on the field and in terms of self confidence, he’s an exciting prospect. But when one factors in him learning from Jeanty and Kubiak as well, the promise becomes even greater.
Will he ever be enshrined in Canton? We’ll have to find out. Raider Nation would be happy if he was just a solid piece for the offense. But Washington Jr. wouldn’t be satisfied with that, and if he ever gets his own bust among the game’s all-time greats, it sounds like he’ll be the least surprised by it.
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