Raiders reveal Klint Kubiak pushed for intriguing draft pick

When Day 3 of the NFL draft arrived, Klint Kubiak apparently had one player he wasn’t willing to leave without.Raiders general manager John Spytek revealed Monday that Kubiak was the driving force behind Las Vegas selecting Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr.in the fourth round.“Klint deserves a lot of credit for drafting Mike Washington,” Spytek said, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.

“He stood on the table for that at the start of Day 3, and this is the perfect scheme fit.”The Raiders backed up Kubiak’s conviction by moving up.Las Vegas sent picks No.

134 and No.208 to Atlanta to climb to No.

122 and secure Washington.It isn’t difficult to see what Kubiak liked.After arriving in Las Vegas following his run as Seattle’s offensive coordinator, Kubiak brought with him a rushing attack built heavily around outside zone concepts, decisive cuts and multiple backs.In Seattle, Kubiak resisted treating Kenneth Walker III as a traditional bell cow, instead referring to both Walker III and Zach Charbonnet as “starters” and finding ways to keep both involved.The broader idea was to keep the run game physical and varied without forcing one back to carry every touch.Washington Jr.

fits that approach naturally.He rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns during his lone season at Arkansas while averaging 6.4 yards per carry — ninth-best nationally.At 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, he also ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story His game is especially suited to the one-cut nature of Kubiak’s system.

Washington can press a zone run toward the edge, force defenders to flow laterally and then plant his foot and accelerate through a crease.His size gives him the ability to finish runs in...