Darnell Washington 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Georgia TE
Darnell Washington, Georgia
6’7”, 265 pounds; JR
With eventual 2021-teammate Arik Gilbert as the only current tight-end recruit ahead of this five-star athlete, Washington caught 17 passes for 310 yards (and one touchdown) through his first two years with the Bulldogs. Despite playing with the best player in the country at that position in Brock Bowers, Washington made a name for himself with his gigantic size and some flashes of his athletic ability in 2022, putting up career-highs in catches (28), yards (454) and touchdowns (two).
+ Throughout his collegiate career, Washington was getting utilized more for his blocking than his talents as a receiver, but he proved his worth with how much Georgia used 12 personnel, despite having an All-American in Brock Bowers at the same position
+ Has the monstrous size to be one of the top in-line blockers in the position, with the sturdy frame and wanting to contribute to one of the top rushing offenses in the country, often times being tasked one-on-one with defensive ends
+ Can dig the inside shoulder into defenders lined up over him, to seal them away from the action, but also cave in one side and allow the back to navigate around the traffic
+ Has that strong inside hand, to get bodies turned, who try to stay square and allow enough of a lane to cut behind
+ You saw quite a few big runs off cutbacks in the split zone, because Washington took out the guy chasing from the backside
+ And he would regularly be putting him at the point of attack on plays out to the edge, where he was able to reach-block and pin the point-man
+ Shows the sufficient dexterity and balance to sustain blocks even when caught on a weird angle and not having both cleats properly planted on the turf
+ Georgia frequently utilized his blocking ability in space, whether it was pulling him out to the edge from off-set alignments or peeling back on linebackers when detached
+ When he digs his shoulder on a corner or safety out on the perimeter, he can emphatically put them on the turf
+ You can put Washington next to the offensive tackle and not allow safeties to widen in their zone drops because of the way he pushes down the field – If you do leave the middle of the field open with nobody turning and running with him, he can burn defenses in a hurry
+ Displays impressive acceleration out of his cuts for a man his size
+ With a quick turn and the wall he puts in front of defenders on hook and stick routes makes it nearly impossible for smaller defenders
+ Clears the hook area in a hurry and becomes a real problem coming across the formation on drag routes as well as getting out the backdoor when leaking into the flats off play-action
+ Presents a massive catch-radius with the largest wingspan ever by a tight-end at the combine (83 and 3/8 inches) along with massive 11-inch hands
+ Made several impressive over-the-head grabs, and even when trail defenders are in good positions, it doesn’t matter
+ Washington’s speed with the ball in his hands and the momentum he builds up makes him a rolling train for defenders to try and get in front of
+ Had an absurd play in the ’22 season-opener, where he tanked his near-270 pound frame through defenders before hurdling another guy at the sideline at the tail-end. However, his blocking in-line might have actually been even more impressive, when you go back to the tape
+ Was a big piece of Georgia’s protections, especially off play-action, regularly sifting underneath the formation and picking up guys off the edge
+ His strong base and ability to move his feet to stay in front of guys makes him a real asset in that area
+ Earned a PFF grade of 78.3 as a receiver and 81.3 as a blocker last season
+ Ran a 4.64 in the 40 at 264 pounds and the third-best short-shuttle time of the entire event at 4.08, behind a WR and CB – both guys below 200 pounds
+ However, the two images that stick in my head are of course the one-handed grab on a goal-line fade to end the session, but even more so, watching him move the blocking sled as if it’s nothing, while most of the guys there were hammering their feet into the ground, desperately trying to create momentum
– You see him chop his feet and kind of telegraph his break on a large portion of routes and he ran a very simplistic route-tree at Georgia – routinely would simply be the outlet in the flats – and had very limited production – two career games with more than three catches and once had more than 65 yards
– Tends to clap at the ball when trying to haul it in and you see him double-catch quite a bit
– Only had a 31-inch vertical jump at the combine – worst mark among TEs – and for people thinking he could be a red-zone monster with his size, he hasn’t proven that he can be yet
– At his size, Washington presents an enormous strike zone for tacklers and you have to worry about how long he will last if DBs have to revert to going low on him constantly
– Could do a better job of establishing his first step and getting his center of gravity shifted too far over his toes in the run game, leading to him slipping off blocks because of it – needs to learn not to bend as much at the waist
This guy is an absolute monster aesthetically and for as many freaks as Georgia puts out there on a weekly basis, this is who opponents probably least want to see step off the bus. Given how flexed out the game has become at all levels, it’s rare to see a player like this who can be a legit third offensive tackle on the field but also run away from linebackers in the open field. Washington is raw as a route-runner, he clap-attacks the ball more than I’d like to see and there are some details he still has to learn in the run game. However, you can’t teach the sheer size and natural strength, giving him the potential to become one of the best blockers and a nightmare to tackle. I don’t ever see him becoming an 800-900 yard receiver in the NFL, but the way he can provide with limited targets or even no targets is worthy of top-50 consideration.
Grade: Second round
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