The Pittsburgh Steelers added one of the 2023 NFL Draft’s most recognizable prospects in Georgia TE Darnell Washington. Insulated by his reputation as a two-time national champion and NFL Combine standout, what does Washington bring to the Steelers’ offense?
Darnell Washington Helps Complete Steelers’ Offensive Picture
The Steelers’ offense has been undergoing a massive revamp project over the past three years. Such a transition was inevitable in the wake of Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. But Pittsburgh entered the 2023 offseason with more work to be done if they desired to keep pace in the loaded AFC.
Pittsburgh has Kenny Pickett coming back in Year 2 with George Pickens, along with Calvin Austin III, who could be a factor if healthy. The Steelers also have Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson II, along with Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth from the 2021 NFL Draft class.
While they entered 2023 with work to be done, the Steelers had specific areas they could target. Pittsburgh got a versatile boundary-slot veteran in Robinson, and they upgraded the offensive line with the additions of Isaac Seumalo and 2023 NFL Draft first-rounder Broderick Jones.
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All this, and one of the Steelers’ most exciting offseason additions, to this point, has been that of Georgia TE Darnell Washington. At times in the 2023 offseason, Washington was mocked as a potential first-round pick. Yet, he ended up falling to No. 93 overall in Round 3, where the Steelers eagerly scooped him up.
Many, among Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Matt Canada, have expressed excitement regarding Washington’s arrival. With the revelation that Washington’s fall could be partly attributed to medical concerns regarding his knee, there’s a prevailing view that, if he can stay healthy, he’ll be a steal.
Nevertheless, what should the expectations be in Year 1 for Washington? And what might his projected role be in the Steelers’ offense? Is his ceiling as dominating as the numbers imply, or are there other factors to take into account?
Projecting Darnell Washington’s Role With the Steelers
It’s easy to be blown away by the pure traits that Washington possesses. The Georgia product — who put up 28 catches for 454 yards and two scores in 2022 — put up an astonishing Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.88 in the 2023 offseason.
At the NFL Combine, Washington awed onlookers, registering a 4.64 40-yard dash, 10’2″ broad jump, and 4.08 short-shuttle time, all at almost 6’7″, 264 pounds, with arms over 34″ long. Washington’s shuttle time, in particular — a measure of agility — tested above the 98th percentile among tight ends.
Looking at the numbers alone, it’s hard to find a quality that Washington lacks. He has size, length, and strength, along with explosiveness, long speed, and agility. But Washington, in particular, is an important case of needing to cross-check the numbers with the tape.
Washington does indeed have a high ceiling. But as noted in his 2023 NFL Draft scouting report, the raw numbers don’t always translate to the field — particularly in the agility department. Here’s an excerpt on Washington’s ability in open space:
“While Washington’s strides are long and cover lots of ground, he’s ultimately a slow-striding target and more of a linear athlete. He’s a fairly limited short-area mover with stiffness in his hips and struggles to vary his strides in open space. In a similar vein, Washington has a below-average change of direction. Routinely, he’s forced to gather himself with multiple steps and reset his base before diverting course.”
Washington has valuable long-strider speed, but he needs space to build up. When it comes to recalibrating, he’s not a very natural mover, varying his strides, and changing direction. This lack of flexibility also limits his potential as an independent separator and route runner, as the report expands on below:
“Stemming from his athletic makeup, Washington has a visible cap on his ceiling as an independent separator. The Georgia TE has marginal natural suddenness and foot speed at stems within his lumbering mold. He plays exceedingly tall as a route runner and isn’t often going to sink into breaks or generate displacement on releases. Washington is high-hipped at stems with average foot speed, and he struggles to manage his size at times.”
When given run-after-catch opportunities at Georgia, Washington made the most of them with his combined long-strider athleticism, dominating play strength, physicality, and contact balance. But he often needed to be schemed open with drag routes, swing routes, and screens, occasionally implementing wheels and slants.
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In the RAC phase, Washington has a definite role waiting for him. And as a red-zone threat, his wingspan can also present a major mismatch for defenses. But even there, Washington has room to improve his catching technique and minimize clap-catches, which can invite drops in the open field.
In an ideal projection, Washington is a complete mismatch with elite athletic ability, who can bowl through defenders after the catch and hawk over passes routinely with his wingspan.
Washington’s athletic numbers paint a picture of this all-encompassing athlete. He’s assuredly a rare player, but he’s not as agile or as free-flowing of a mover as those numbers indicate. That lack of flexibility may put a cap on Washington’s ceiling as a receiver, and before he can maximize his wingspan, he needs to clean up his technique.
Simply put, there’s work to do before Washington reaches his ceiling as a receiving threat. Even then, there are some in-built limitations that the numbers don’t convey, which could impact his variability.
Washington’s Elite Blocking Ability Provides Security
While Washington isn’t quite as all-encompassing as advertised as an athlete, he is indeed the blocking threat he’s hyped up to be.
Washington is essentially an extra offensive lineman on the field when lined up as a blocker. His athleticism allows him to traverse the field, but it’s ultimately Washington’s stifling play strength, power, and aggression that underpins his skill set here. The excerpt below from Washington’s scouting report adequately describes his blocking prowess.
“Washington is a terrifying blocker. He’s incredibly strong and aggressive and has the strength and leg drive to redirect defenders out of running lanes and into the turf. The Georgia TE brings a mauler mentality and consistently finishes blocks. He shows urgency as a lead blocker moving downfield and can throw defenders into the turf with power and upper-body torque.
“Even for his size, Washington can acquire leverage and surge into blocks with good pad level and stack blocks moving upfield. He brings elite power for a TE and generates overwhelming output without much strain. Washington also has an understanding of leverage and angles. He’s shown he can swivel around blocks while holding his anchor to maintain leverage and seal off defenders.”
Beyond having the raw ability, Washington is also a very versatile blocker, who can be used in a multitude of ways across both phases. He can pull, line up as a fullback, combo block on the edge, and be a lead blocker in space, paving open lanes and overwhelming DBs. Washington also has the leverage awareness, grip strength, and heavy hands to pass protect as well.
Washington Can Be a Valuable TE2 for the Steelers
Many were surprised that Washington fell to the 93rd overall pick. On my board, however, that’s around where he was valued.
Washington doesn’t have the all-encompassing receiving upside to challenge Freiermuth for volume in that phase, but there’s a role waiting for him as a very solid TE2 with superb blocking utility and niche receiving ability.
As a blocker, Washington has the combined versatility and high-level operational value to move across the front, handle complex assignments, and finish blocks with his power and drive. That ability, in particular, will enable him to hit the field on Day 1 and increase the efficiency of the Steelers’ run game.
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In the passing phase, Washington’s limited separation ability and route tree constrict his usage. But as a RAC threat who can be schemed the ball in the short range, he has a lot of appeal. Washington’s truly a bear to take down with his explosiveness and leg churn, and he always finishes forward. In the red zone, if he cleans up his catching technique, he has the wingspan to be a mismatch against DBs, and ultimately a go-to end-zone target.
To summarize, Washington’s ceiling might not be quite as high as his elite athletic numbers would imply. But he still has the ability to serve a very valuable role in Pittsburgh’s TE rotation and can make a difference as the team strives to contend.