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At the end of Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft, Darnell Washington remained without a team. Several draftniks projected him to be one of the top tight ends off the board, but medicals forced him to slide to the third round and right into the laps of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Pat Freiermuth at the post, tight end wasn’t a glaring need for the Black and Gold, but it’s hard to pass up someone of his tremendous size and athleticism.
At 6-foot-7, Washington is (literally) a huge target, giving Pittsburgh and quarterback Kenny Pickett another receiving threat. His message to the opponents he’ll face this season? Watch out. “When I put it all together, I can be a mismatch,” Washington told Teresa Varley of Steelers.com.
He knows developing into “a complete tight end” won’t come overnight. “I need to put it all together. Once I do that, I will be a complete tight end. I am not complete yet. It takes time. Being with Coach Alfredo (Roberts) and working on our game will make it happen.”
Washington produced two sub-200-yard seasons at Georgia before finally getting into a groove in his third and final season, logging 464 yards and two scores.
Not only does he use size to his advantage as a pass-catcher, but he also has a healthy relationship with blocking.
“I can be anywhere on the field, whether that’s running routes or if that’s blocking. I enjoy blocking. I enjoy every aspect of the game. Blocking, running routes, I have done it all. Back in my days I used to play left tackle and I blocked a whole season. I have played receiver. I have played running back. I have done it all on the field. I enjoy every aspect of the game.
“It means the world to get the opportunity to be at this level now. I am just trying to prove everybody that passed on me wrong, and that is what I plan on doing.”
Whether Washington gets the opportunity to show he’s a mismatch is another thing.
Expectations for Steelers TE Darnell Washington in 2023
It’s too early to say just how the Pittsburgh Steelers will utilize Darnell Washington. If Matt Canada plays his cards right, some exciting plays could be drawn up to throw off defenses. We did see more two and three tight-end sets in 2022, and with the addition of Washington, Pittsburgh can ramp that up. They could line up in a big package with Pat Freiermuth, Washington and Zach Gentry to run the ball or split people out wide out of that package and throw it.
But Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggests fans temper their excitement to avoid a letdown. There’s no current need for him to be heavily involved in the passing game. “The Steelers don’t necessarily have a reason to rush Washington’s development,” he wrote in Predicting Every NFL Team’s Biggest Bust of the 2023 NFL Season.
On paper, Pittsburgh has a laundry list of receiving options for Pickett to have fun with. “Pat Freiermuth combined with the wide receiver trio of Diontae Johnson, Allen Robinson II and George Pickens should allow them to bring him along at his pace.”
“Washington is the home run swing at tight end in this draft class. Players with his size and athletic ability do not come around often. It may take a year or two before Washington isn’t so rough around the edges, but he has all the tools to be a Pro Bowl tight end,” Bleacher Report scout Derrik Klassen wrote in his scouting report on Washington.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo added, “The expectations [from fans] for Darnell Washington are unrealistic. He’s a 3rd round pick. I could see him having a role this year, I could also see him not dressing for the first 4, 6, 8 games of the season.”
Steelers reporter @rayfitt1 on @937theFan:
“The expectations [from fans] for Darnell Washington are so unrealistic. He’s a 3rd round pick. I could see him having a role this year, I could also see him not dressing for the first 4, 6, 8 games of the season.”
The Steelers will likely bring Washington, 21, along slowly in the passing game as they tend to do with rookies. But don’t be surprised if he’s much more involved as a blocker.