Our Favorite 2026 Raiders Draft Pick, and Reasons Why

HENDERSON, Nev.—In an offseason that has been distinguished by terrific decision after terrific decision, and while the zenith was the NFL Draft, there have been even more since then.

Today, we reflect on what has garnered national praise: the aforementioned draft and one pick in particular that stood out.

Standing out in this draft class is hard because each player was selected far above their value.  That praise even includes the highly acclaimed UDFA grouping.

Kubiak’s Mindset

Klint Kubiak is a coach who predicates his offense on a two-back system.

The Raiders obviously added elite 2025 RB Ashton Jeanty, but that is not enough for Kubiak.  He wants and needs two men to tote the rock in his scheme, and, aside from Jeanty, once Kubiak was pegged as the head coach, that position needed help as much as any in this daunting Raiders rebuild.

The Raiders liked four running backs with high grades that they wanted to come out of this draft.  It looked like they wouldn’t get any of them.  

Mike Washington Jr., the Arkansas RB, inexplicably fell, and GM John Spytek pounced, trading with the Atlanta Falcons when he gave up his No. 134, No. 208 picks for pick No. 122, subsequently adding the star Razorback, whom the Raiders had with a significantly higher grade.

Spytek got Kubiak his guy.

Welcome to Vegas, Mr. Washington

It would be unfair and disingenuous to say that Washington was the only draft pick that sent celebrations off inside the Raiders' war room, but it doesn’t minimize it either.

I think there are several potential stars in this crop, but, based on where a player was selected, none was more valuable than Washington.

Director of College Scouting Brandon Yeargan exclaimed shortly after selecting him to me, “We were excited to get him for sure, 6-1, 225, 4.3, ran for over 1,000 yards this year, super productive, high character. Yeah, we were really excited. We feel like he's a really good fit for Coach [Klint] Kubiak and Andrew’s [Janocko] scheme in the wide zone system. So, pretty fired about him and the person he is, too."

VP of Player Personnel for the Raiders, Brandon Hunt, nicknamed “The Professor” by one league executive for his ability to retain and recite player information, went even further than Yeargan.  With the zeal of a child with a prized present on Christmas morning, I asked about Washington, and he responded:

"It's awesome. This guy is going to generate explosives for us, and just another weapon that's going to add to our offense. And Klint [Kubiak] and [Andrew] Janocko are going to do a great job of utilizing them and help us score the football."

The Cannonball Run

Mike Washington Jr. is a fearless runner.  He stands 6’1” and weighs 223 pounds, but when you add to that the fact that he runs like he’s been shot out of a cannon, behind his pads with 4.3 speed, the combination of him and Jeanty with the offensive genius of Kubiak, perplexes me at what the Silver and Black will scheme.

Washington said of his pairing with Jeanty, “I'm super excited to get rolling with him. All I could think of is thunder and lightning. So, super excited to be the one-two punch with him. And to really, like I said before, be a sponge and learn from him also at the same time."

The young back, mature beyond his years, said of his maturation, "I believe it was a maturity thing. Understanding the game more, the ins and outs of it, and really just being detailed about what I need to.”

The 2026 season is still two months away from the start of training camp, but with Washington added to the stable of new offensive weapons, things in the desert are looking up.

For the first time in my professional career, I like the entirety of a team’s draft.  Simply based on value equated by where he was ranked, and where he was picked, Washington is my favorite.

For all the reasons I just told you.

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