When Ryan Silverfield took the job at Arkansas, it came just 10 weeks after he embarrassed the Razorbacks at Memphis. Though he’s been in Fayetteville for several months now, he may still hand the Tigers another “W” over the Hogs in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The first round begins Thursday, but neither Arkansas nor Memphis is expected to have a Day 1 pick. Once Day 2 arrives, though, the race will be on to see which school produces the first draftee.
Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. and Memphis offensive tackle Travis Burke are the odds-on favorites to hear their name called first for their respective teams – and it may be a closer race than you’d expect.
Washington’s NFL Draft Rankings
In his only season in Fayetteville, Washington played his way into the draft. He finished fifth in the SEC with 1,070 yards and his 6.4-yard average ranked second in the league.
Those are solid numbers, but the Utica, N.Y., native really turned some heads with a 4.33 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine — the fastest of any running back at the event.
That secured his position as a nearly consensus top-100 prospect heading into this week, meaning he’ll almost certainly snap Arkansas’ eight-year drought of running backs in the NFL Draft. (The Razorbacks’ last draftee at the position was David Williams in 2018.)
Washington is ranked anywhere from No. 59 to No. 152, depending on where you look:
Perhaps CBS Sports is weighing his age more heavily than the rest. After all, running backs have one of the shortest shelf lives of any position in the league. As a 22-year-old fifth-year senior, he might as well be geriatric in the eyes of some NFL general managers.
Since this draft isn’t particularly filled with running back talent, though, Washington shouldn’t fall much. In fact, most outlets have him ranked behind only the Fighting Irish’s dynamic duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Still, it might be enough for Silverfield’s guy to go before Sam Pittman’s bellcow.
