Washington Redskins 2011 season Helu was selected in the fourth round with the 105th overall pick in the
2011 NFL draft by the
Washington Redskins. He would later be joined by Nebraska teammates,
DeJon Gomes and
Niles Paul, who were drafted after him. On November 6, 2011, in his first career start, Helu broke the Redskins all-time record for receptions in a game with 14 catches, in a loss against the
San Francisco 49ers. The following two weeks, in losses to
Miami and
Dallas, Helu had a combined 14 rushes and five receptions as Coach
Mike Shanahan split running back duties between Helu and
Ryan Torain. Coach Shanahan said, “I like Helu, he’s doing some great things. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him too early. He’s not ready for that. But he’s gaining experience, and I like what I see.” On November 27, 2011, Helu rushed for a Redskins rookie-record 108 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown against the
Seattle Seahawks' top-ten ranked run defense. While running for a touchdown, he hurdled Seahawks
cornerback,
Roy Lewis. He was then named the full-time starter by Coach Shanahan, and responded with two consecutive 100 yard performances. Following his 126-yard performance against the
New England Patriots, Helu led all active rookies in rush yards. His streak of three consecutive 100 yard games is the most by any Redskins rookie in franchise history; a record he was unable to extend to four games due to an injury he sustained. Helu finished with 151 carries for 640 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 49 receptions for 379 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. At the end of the
2011 NFL season, Helu was Redskins' leader in rushing yards. On January 16, 2012, Helu along with fellow rookie,
Ryan Kerrigan, were named to the Pro Football Weekly/
Pro Football Writers of America all-rookie team.
2012 season After the NFL changed the rule in 2012 to allow players' jerseys to include generational titles in their names, Helu adopted "Jr." to the back of his jersey. He was expected to compete for the starting spot in the
2012 season against
Tim Hightower and
Evan Royster, but ended up losing the competition to rookie
Alfred Morris. His second season was cut short after being placed on
injured reserve on September 26, 2012, due to lower leg injuries and
turf toe. He finished the season with two carries for two rushing yards and 45 receiving yards on seven receptions.
2013 season Helu returned from injury and secured his place as the second string running back behind Morris during the 2013 preseason. In a 45–41 Week 7 win against the
Chicago Bears, he recorded his first multi-scoring game, recording three touchdowns. He appeared in all 16 games. He finished with 62 carries for 274 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 31 receptions for 251 receiving yards.
2014 season In 2014, Helu had almost no competition for the second-string running back job, and won it easily over fellow running backs
Silas Redd,
Evan Royster,
Chris Thompson, and
Lache Seastrunk. In the 2014 season, he appeared in 14 games. He finished with 40 carries for 216 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with 42 receptions for 477 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Oakland Raiders On March 10, 2015, Helu signed a two-year contract worth over $4 million with the
Oakland Raiders. In the 2015 season, Helu appeared in nine games. He had 17 carries for 39 rushing yards to go along with nine receptions for 75 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Helu was placed on the team's injured reserve list on July 29, 2016, ending his season, and was waived from the team a few days later. ==Personal life==