Player: DeAndre Washington
Position: Running Back
School: Texas Tech
Draft Status: Fifth Round, 143rd Pick (Oakland Raiders)
Rookie Running Back Ranking: #10
College Stats | Year | Class | Rush | Yards | AVG | TD | Rec | Yards | TD |
| 2011 | Freshman | 77 | 366 | 4.8 | 3 | 19 | 109 | 0 |
| 2013 | Sophomore | 107 | 450 | 4.2 | 4 | 34 | 269 | 0 |
| 2014 | Junior | 188 | 1,103 | 5.9 | 2 | 30 | 328 | 2 |
| 2015 | Senior | 233 | 1,492 | 6.4 | 14 | 42 | 385 | 2 |
| Totals | Four Years | 605 | 3,411 | 5.6 | 23 | 124 | 1,091 | 4 |
Washington started his Texas Tech career by sharing carries with Eric Stephens and Aaron Crawford as a freshman, seeing his most action in a win over Oklahoma that saw him put up 84 yards on 16 attempts. An injury forced Washington to sit the entire 2012 campaign. But once he returned, Washington was again stuck splitting time with another running back.
It wasn't until the 2014 campaign that Washington finally got his shot to be the team's primary ball carrier. He responded by putting up some huge performances against Big 12 competition, including 164 yards against Kansas and 186 yards in a win over Iowa State. Washington ended the 2014 season as a second-team all conference performer.
The next season was even better for this smallish running back. He tallied nearly 1,900 total yards and 16 touchdowns, including a ridiculous 284-yard, three-touchdown outing in a win over Kansas State. Unfortunately, Washington's Tech career came to an uninsipiring conclusion with just 37 yards in a loss to Louisiana State in the Texas Bowl.
Scouting Report
Strengths: Short-area speed is among the best in the class. Hits his hole hard and gets to that top gear in relatively short order. Does extremely well keeping his pad level low with an even lower center of gravity. Despite a 5-foot-8 build, much more powerful than most would anticipate. Exceptional in pass protection and boasts solid hands.
Weaknesses: Needs to show better vision on the football field, struggles with discipline following blockers. A lack of patience in the backfield. His smallish stature may cause issues holding up at the NFL level.
2016 Outlook
Washington will likely start his career with the Raiders as Latavius Murray's primary backup. Considering Murray's lack of consistency last season (seven games of less than 50 yards), there's a decent chance Washington will see some nice action as a rookie. Unfortunately, the consistent touches won't be there for him to be a decent fantasy options.
Dynasty Outlook
Dyno is where it's at with Washington. If Murray fails to improve from last season's uneven performance, there's a good chance that the Raiders will look to transition away from him. The key here will be to see whether Washington's work load increases as the season goes on. If given 15-plus attempts on a consistent basis, has decent RB2 upside.