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Steelers Scouting Report: Georgia TE Darnell Washington

The Pittsburgh Steelers could find another star tight end fresh off a National Championship run.

Derrick Bell

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The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to add depth to their tight end room, which could include a big man from Georgia. 

Darnell Washington was a former five-star recruit from Las Vegas, Nevada who was the #23 overall prospect in his recruiting class and the #1 ranked tight end. Washington was an immediate contributor the second that he stepped foot onto campus, earning a starting role as a freshman and holding on to tag throughout his career. A breakout junior season ensued after he was given more opportunities as a pass catcher, adding another element to an already dangerous Georgia offensive attack. 

Former basketball background in high school, who's loaded with physical tools and upside, Washington is widely expected to declare early for the NFL Draft. After a deep dive into the tape, it's worth considering the possibility that the Steelers would have an interest in acquiring Washington and forming a dangerous tandem alongside Pat Freiermuth.

On a squad full of freaks, Washington's the most easily recognizable figure when Georgia hopped off of the bus on Saturdays. The junior tight end's measurables are off the charts. His 6-foot-7, 270 pounds frame gives him one of the most unique physical profiles that the NFL Draft landscape has ever seen. 

Washington was asked to fill a diverse set of roles on the Georgia offense, most notably to put his hand in the dirt and contribute as an in-line tight end. In addition to that, Georgia also shifted him into the slot while occasionally flexing him out wide toward the boundary to isolate him as an X wide receiver type. 

Strengths

As mentioned above, the build itself is incredibly rare and basically unheard of for the position, and that alone is worth mentioning when talking about his NFL Draft profile. 

The frame is just massive. He's easily spotted on the football field. He also has an intriguing power profile as he's very well put together, and strong in both his lower and upper half. While he's not a full-on track athlete, Washington does boast good straight-line speed which might surprise some people when he shows up at the NFL Combine during the process. For his size, it's pretty remarkable just how much ground he can cover on the field. 

As a receiver, Washington does most of his damage up the seams in the flats underneath on flats and drag routes. Even when he's in a three-point stance, Washington doesn't have any trouble getting off the ball and can swim past defenders looking to get a jam on him at the line of scrimmage. 

A long strider when working vertically, Washington covers a lot of ground which helps him get in front of defenders throughout the route. Washington showcases plus body control where he can adjust to throws in a variety of different ways and could be weaponized in the future on back shoulder throws where he can use his frame to shield off players in the secondary.  

Physicality is his calling card as a player, and it shows up in the receiving game. When defenders try to contact him throughout the route stem, Washington remains unfazed and can easily continue on his tract as intended. When defenders try to re-route him or establish a contact key, Washington will swipe their hands down while continuing through his route. He has no problem absorbing contact at the catch point either and doesn't shy away from contact, particularly in the middle of the field which is where NFL teams would love to utilize him more down the line. 

While there weren't many opportunities in contested catch situations, he projects to be a positive contributor in this regard.

Washington's hands are reliable, and he doesn't fight the ball into his hands or body. He only had two drops on 43 targets over the course of his final season as a Bulldog. You have to appreciate the way that he catches the ball away from his frame, and extends beautifully using his insane length to snag balls thrown outside of his strike zone. Additionally, defenders weren't successful ripping the ball away from him at the catch point due to how strong his hands are which we can discuss even more in the run game. 

When Washington gets the ball in his hands, it's best to duck and cover as he's a tank in the open field that's looking to destroy anything in his path. There's no dancing in his repertoire, he'll get north immediately and run straight through anything in his path. There are some highlight-worthy plays on tape of him running through smaller defenders who are left grasping at his lower body, and he'll run his feet upon impact to consistently fall forward to gain additional yards after contact. 

A powerful dude who strikes the fear of god into defenders when they're left in the open field with him, Washington also loves to break out the hurdle when smaller players in the secondary elect to dive at his knees. 

Arguably the most intriguing aspect of his game is what he can do for you as a run blocker when his hand is in the dirt. He possesses the pure strength to wash defenders down the line, displace guys from their gap or fold defensive ends like a lawn chair. Even with his abnormally tall build, Washington will play with solid leverage, and when he's able to engage with defenders, he'll run his feet, and you immediately notice the lower body strength amid his leg drive. 

Georgia also asked him to be a puller across the formation, and there are some examples of him just flatlining smaller players in space who don't stand a chance with his physicality and frame coming full speed at them. While playing to the whistle, Washington's a finisher who can pile drive smaller targets onto the turf. With experience in both zone and gap rushing concepts, Washington flashes the ability to sustain blocks thanks to impressive grip strength.

Todd Monken's offense also required Washington to be the point man in bunch sets out wide where they took advantage of Washington's size to swallow up defenders in space. Some of their best screen plays on tape seemed to be whenever they aligned Washington in these formations. 

Albeit in a very small sample size, Washington also carries significant value as a pass blocker, and that's not restricted to him chipping guys off of the edge. Georgia would occasionally leave him one-on-one with legitimate, talented pass rushers, and Washington more than held his own. He's nimble enough to shuffle his feet and mirror movements while also having the physical capacity to anchor down when guys try to run through his chest in pursuit of the quarterback.

Weaknesses

Some of the limitations that come associated with his game are based on his build as Washington can appear clunky in space, particularly when he's asked to change direction. When entering his breaks, he needs excess steps, and due to his long his legs are, he really labors to sink his hips and get out of his breaks. 

With that in mind, Washington isn't likely to be a high-level route runner at any point in his career, and these limitations are likely what's going to prevent him from being an effective separator.

Much of his value at the next level lies around his ability to become a true complete multi-faceted tight end, and while he's a plus run blocker already due to his strength and athletic profile, there are some technical things he needs to clean up. Most notable is his hand placement as they are often times far too wide on the outside of the shoulder pads instead of tight inside. 

Washington got away with poor technique on several plays where he wasn't caught by referees bear-hugging opponents with his arms wrapped around their chests. He was called for five penalties this season, but he was probably fortunate that the number wasn't a bit higher. As a puller or when working in space, Washington needs to maintain better control when trying to locate targets on the move. 

The lone drop in the games that I watched from this season was the result of him "clapping" at the ball, and while this was the only one he dropped, it wasn't the only time his lack of proper catching technique showed up. While not the focal point of the offense, his involvement in the passing game took a significant leap forward this season but he was somewhat surprisingly quiet down the stretch, catching just four passes in his final five games. 

He was labored with a lower-body injury in the playoffs, and it's worth mentioning that a foot injury kept him out for the first month of the 2021 season. 

Numbers to Note

- Career totals: 45 catches, 774 receiving yards, 17.2 yards per catch and three receiving touchdowns 

- 2022 totals: 28 catches, 454 receiving yards, 16.2 yards per catch and two receiving touchdowns

- Three catches of 20+ air yards in 2022, only nine power-five tight ends accumulated more (PFF)

- 16.2 yards per catch was the fourth highest among power-five tight ends with 20 or more targets in 2022 (PFF)

- 7.1 yards after the catch ranked 13th highest among power-five tight ends with 20 or more targets in 2022 (PFF)

Projection

Washington's a unicorn in the truest sense and one of the best all-around tight ends that we have seen come out of college in the past several years. Thanks to his complete, all-around skill set, you can use him in many different ways and dictate defensive personnel groupings to your choosing. 

While he might never be the focal point of an NFL passing attack, he certainly offers enough splash and upside to be a mismatch nightmare to terrorize defensive coordinators. Because of his run-blocking prowess and value as a seam stretcher, Washington offers a nice floor as a TE2 out of the gate. With further refinement to go along with his physical gifts, there's also a solid amount of upside for Washington to grow into one of the better all-around weapons at a rather shallow positional group in the league. 

He currently carries a round two grade and should come off the board somewhere inside the top 50 in the NFL Draft. Pittsburgh has been searching for a competent run-blocking tight end for a while now, and Washington certainly fits the mold of what they could be looking for in that regard, especially if they want to lean into more 12-personnel looks. 

With three selections in the top 50 in their arsenal, they'll have the necessary ammo to acquire him if they deem the position an area of need. 

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Derrick Bell
DERRICK BELL

Derrick Bell is a University of Louisville grad who's covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. Prior to AllSteelers, Derrick contributed to Steel City Blitz. 

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