Mike Washington Jr. stats: the Raiders rookie’s 2026 numbers explained

Mike Washington Jr. stats: the quick answer

Mike Washington Jr. has played six NFL games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026. Through that point, the rookie running back has 34 carries for 168 rushing yards, a 4.9-yard average and one rushing touchdown. He has also caught three passes for 11 yards and has not lost a fumble. For readers who typed Mike Washington Jr. stats, that is the useful snapshot: a young back averaging nearly five yards per carry in limited work behind an established starter.

The number that jumps out is not the total volume yet. It is the efficiency. Washington’s 36-yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints remains his longest run, and it gave him a first NFL score people could actually remember. His best rushing total so far came in that game too, when he ran five times for 54 yards. The official game log also shows a nine-carry, 43-yard outing against Buffalo in Week 6, proof that his role can grow when Las Vegas needs another physical runner.

That is why searches have picked up. Football fans want more than a highlight clip, especially when a rookie suddenly makes a long run look easy. The fotobreak news desk follows the same question readers ask about emerging sports names: who is this player, what has he actually done, and what could his next few games mean?

Who is Mike Washington Jr.?

Mike Washington Jr. is Michael Washington Jr., a 23-year-old American football running back for the Raiders. He wears No. 4 and is listed at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds. He is from Utica, New York, and attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School in central New York. Before football became his full-time path, he also played defense in high school, where his record included tackles and interceptions alongside a strong rushing résumé.

His size makes the first impression, but his college route explains the player better. Washington did not arrive in the NFL after one flashy season at a single powerhouse program. He spent three years at Buffalo, transferred to New Mexico State for 2024, then finished at Arkansas in 2025. Across 51 college games, he recorded 2,914 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns. That journey gives his rise a different feel from the instant-star stories often attached to high draft picks.

Washington began at Buffalo in 2021, then became the Bulls’ leading rusher in 2022 with 625 yards and seven touchdowns. He added 362 rushing yards in 2023 before moving to New Mexico State. There, he ran for 713 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. At Arkansas, he produced the season that brought wider NFL attention: 1,070 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 28 receptions, 226 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

Readers who follow prospects know that an unfamiliar name can become a regular search in a hurry. It happened with Ace Bailey in basketball, and it happens in football when a player’s college production finally meets a bigger stage. Washington’s Arkansas year put him on that track.

How did Mike Washington Jr. get to the Raiders?

The Raiders selected Washington in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, No. 122 overall. His pre-draft testing helped make the case. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, an eye-catching time for a back with his build. Speed matters most when it appears on the field, and his 36-yard touchdown gave viewers a clean early example of why teams paid attention.

Las Vegas drafted him into a room led by Ashton Jeanty, which means Washington does not need to carry an entire offense to matter. His work is more practical: learn protection calls, take the correct crease, protect the football, contribute on passing downs when asked and make the most of a limited set of carries. A rookie can earn more touches by doing those quiet jobs well.

The situation is familiar across the league. Backs such as Jerome Ford have shown how quickly a reserve’s opportunity can change when a team needs a dependable runner. Washington’s early production does not guarantee a larger role, but it gives the Raiders evidence that he can handle meaningful snaps.

His running style also depends on the people in front of him. Offensive line play decides whether a back meets a defender at the line or reaches the second level with room to build speed. That is why fans who watch interior blockers such as Cam Jurgens understand that a rushing stat is never a one-person achievement. Washington gets the headline, but each carry begins with timing, blocking and communication.

Why is Mike Washington Jr. trending now?

The immediate reason is simple: his stat line is now real NFL production, not draft projection. A 4.9-yard rushing average through six games is a small sample, yet it is enough to make supporters, fantasy players and Raiders fans look for context. The touchdown run against New Orleans gave those searches a moment to attach to. Short highlights travel quickly, while a clear profile answers the next question.

Washington also benefits from being a rookie in a position that invites constant comparison. Fans track carries, yards per attempt, receptions and red-zone touches every week. The same urge to check a player’s numbers drives searches for Trae Young stats, even though basketball measures a very different kind of job. Numbers are a shared language, but they need context. Thirty-four carries do not tell a complete story about a running back’s development, and neither does one long touchdown.

The broader rookie conversation helps too. Football audiences are always scanning for the player who may become useful before the rest of the public catches up. That has put attention on names such as Kaelon Black and Parker Washington in fantasy football. Washington Jr. belongs in that kind of conversation because his early role is visible, his physical profile is clear and his team has given him chances.

Who are the people around Mike Washington Jr.?

The most important professional relationship is the backfield partnership with Jeanty. One player’s carries do not automatically take away from the other. Modern teams often want runners with different strengths, and a second back can keep the starter fresher while giving the offense another look. Coaches have spoken publicly about the possibility of using both backs, which makes Washington’s weekly usage worth watching rather than treating him as a player waiting offstage.

His football community stretches back through Buffalo, New Mexico State and Arkansas. Transfers can look unusual on a stat sheet, but they also mean a player has adapted to new playbooks, new coaches and new teammates more than once. Washington arrived at Arkansas and produced immediately against SEC competition. That may be the most useful part of his college story for readers weighing whether his early pro results have substance.

Washington’s public player biography focuses on football, not private family life, and that is the right boundary to keep. The people around him who matter to this story are teammates, coaches and the college programs that developed him. NFL fans may also recognize the surname from players such as Darnell Washington or Malik Washington, but they are separate players with separate paths.

What happens next for Mike Washington Jr.?

The next useful stat is not a prediction. It is his workload. Watch his carries, targets, third-down snaps and red-zone opportunities each week. A steady role would matter more than one spectacular run, because it would show the Raiders trust him in ordinary game situations as well as highlight moments.

For now, the cleanest way to follow him is through the Raiders’ official roster and game coverage, plus the NFL’s player page and weekly box scores. Those sources update faster than recycled search snippets. His public job is football, so the clearest public record is also the least complicated one: the plays he makes, the carries he receives and the work he puts on film.

Sports readers drawn to under-the-radar careers may also want the patient rise of Bennett Stirtz, the hockey prospect story around Gavin McKenna, or the changing college basketball path of Aday Mara. Washington’s story has the same appeal. The name is getting searched because the numbers have started to appear. What keeps people watching will be whether those numbers keep rising.