Darnell Washington is a physically imposing six-foot-seven tight end out of Georgia who developed as a pass catcher in his third and final season with the program. He is a former five-star recruit who chose Georgia over Alabama, Florida and Miami.
While he came out of high school as a five-star talent, Washington never quite lived up to those expectations in college. What he did do is turn himself into one of the best blockers in the game, willing to do the dirty work in the run game. His rare ability to dominate as a run blocking tight end makes him a unique prospect in this year’s draft with a completely different skill set to any other tight end in the class.
Washington featured in just four games as a freshman at Georgia before doubling his appearances during the program’s National Championship run in 2021. He had 17 receptions in those first two seasons combined for 320 yards and a touchdown before seeing an increase in his production as a pass catcher in 2022.
In that third and final season Washington’s numbers jumped from 10 receptions for 154 yards in 2021 to 28 receptions for 454 yards in 2022. He wasn’t seen as a primary option in the Bulldogs passing game, serving as the number two tight end on the roster behind Brock Bowers.
Washington was named to the Second Team All-SEC in 2022, recognizing his efforts in the Bulldogs second National Championship winning season in as many years.
Darnell Washington is almost non comparable to any other tight end in the 2023 draft class. His skillset is completely different, and he’ll be evaluated as almost a sixth offensive lineman with the ability to contribute as a pass catcher when called upon.
Washington’s upside is superb because of this. He has the blocking side of the game nailed down already. He lined up inline on 66% of his snaps in the 2022 season and served as an edge setting blocker or lead blocker for the majority of the Bulldogs rushing snaps.
Washington is able to spring running backs as the lead blocker and get out in front of them in space, but he’s not limited to simply serving as a blocker.
As proven in the 2022 season he can also be a valuable asset in the passing game. Considering he lines up inline so often, he’s a nightmare for defenses on delayed runs downfield.
At six-foot-seven he can compete for contested catches with the best of them and his catch radius is impressive. He will give any NFL team a firm option in the end zone when he does take off as a passing option, the question is just how often that happens at the next level.
While he can get downfield, his agility is lacking, and he struggles to create separation. He’s a below average route runner with only one real season of production in the passing game, but does offer the upside if he can be coached into a productive pass catching tight end in the league.
Because of his unique skill set, Darnell Washington is tough to place in the draft. He could land somewhere on day two or fall a little further, depending on which teams are looking at him as an asset to their offensive game plan.
Green Bay Packers
Darnell Washington could serve as a direct replacement for Marcedes Lewis, who is no longer with the Packers after spending the last five seasons with the team.
Lewis spent over 90% of his snaps inline in each of the last three seasons, helping the offensive line to create gaps for both Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. The Packers love to run the football and have a great tandem of running backs to utilize in doing so, and you’d have to imagine they run a little more after making the switch from Aaron Rodgers to a young Jordan Love.
Washington can replicate Marcedes Lewis’ role without any real pressure as a pass catcher. If he then develops into a valuable target as his career goes on, the Packers get some additional upside.
Detroit Lions
The Lions could well be in the market for a tight end themselves. Trading T.J. Hockenson last season seemed like a surprise move, but perhaps the Lions just don’t envision having a split-out pass catching tight end in their future.
Instead, Darnell Washington could become their inline blocking tight end, allowing the likes of D’Andre Swift and David Montgomery to run through open gaps in the Lions scheme.
Detroit run a split zone/gap scheme and could certainly benefit from a well experienced tight end with the blocking capabilities of an offensive linemen. You also can’t help but feel like he’s exactly the kind of player that would get head coach Dan Campbell’s attention.
Pro’s
- Size and frame
- Run blocking ability is off the charts for the position
- Mismatch in the red zone
- Pass catching upside
Con’s
- Lack of production
- Separation as a route runner
