Continuing the series, I wanted to look at and provide data for the tight end position, where the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to select Darnell Washington 93rd overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Today’s goal is to view how the players at the position fared as receivers in 2021, following up my 2022 receiving and run blocking articles on him. The article will focus on the players who heard their names called in the draft, and one player was excluded due to Sports Info Solutions (SIS) not tracking smaller schools. The goal is to see how Washington stacked up among his peers.
Let’s start with routes run and targets, for receivers’ quantity of opportunities:
Right away we get important quantity context, with Washington having the lowest number of routes run (46) and targets (nine) of the 14 qualifying players in 2021. These opportunities came in eight games, with Washington missing the first four games of the season due to a foot injury in the preseason that required surgery, highlighted well by our own Melanie Friedlander in her entrance physical series. With so much firepower at Georgia, Washington’s highest targets in a game was just two, which happened twice. While he did not have substantial opportunities in the receiving game in 2021, he encouragingly played every game last season with 142 routes run and 41 targets (nearly exceeding his 2021 target totals in one game), becoming more of a factor in the passing game during Georgia’s second national title run in a row. This is an encouraging usage increase and important context as we dive deeper today.
Let’s examine targets further, adding yardage context with average distance of target (ADoT) along with average distance of catch (ADoC):
Here we see Washington’s pass distances were above average, with an 8.4 ADoC that ranked third, and a 9.3 ADoT that ranked fourth. Snap opportunities are important context, but he had eerily similar numbers in 2022 (8.2 ADoC, 9.3 ADoT) on a larger sample size, which ranked the same that season. This is a very encouraging element that Washington can hopefully provide as a receiver for Pittsburgh, which should be looking to push the ball down the field more often in 2023.
Next, here are on-target catch rates (total receptions divided by the number of catchable targets) and drop percentages (drops divided by catchable targets) in 2022:
Washington landed at the extreme top right of the chart, tying for first with a 100% on target catch rate and 0% drop rate. Of course the lower sample size makes these numbers less impressive, but he capitalized on the opportunities he had in 2021 as a reliable complementary target, which matches his likely role in the black and gold. Comparing this to last season on more targets, Washington was below average in both, with an 85.7% on target catch percentage (12th) and a 6.5 drop rate (11th). Here’s to hoping Washington can provide more quality over quantity in his rookie season as he did in 2021.
I also wanted to look at and provide overall completion percentages, along with receiver ratings (quarterback passer rating when targeted):
Another top rank for Washington, which came in completion percentage (88.9%) on his low nine targets. His 118.8 receiver rating was also above the mean and ranked a bit lower at sixth, with eight catches, 140 yards, and no touchdowns. In 2022, Washington was well below average with a 61% completion rate and a 91.8 receiver rating. Each ranked 11th, with 25 catches, 403 yards, and one touchdown. While Washington’s opportunities grew, we saw a notable lack of connectivity last season. That highlights my earlier hope of quality over quantity for Washington his rookie season and in my opinion plays into the plan and fit in the black and gold.
Other important elements I wanted to look at come situationally. Here are receivers’ first down rates, along with broken/missed tackles per reception to see who earned/created extra yardage:
Once again, we see an extremely valuable quality of Washington’s 2021 season (friendly reminder of low sample size). He interestingly provided a first down on all eight of his catches and had the strongest broken/missed tackles per reception result by far. He also fared well in 2022, holding the top rank in first down percentage along with tying for second in broken/missed tackles. As a large human who is athletically gifted, this could be a nice boost for a Pittsburgh offense that was dead last in yards after catch (YAC) last year. In 2021, 73 of Washington’s 140 total yards came in YAC (52.1%), which is very impressive. Comparing this to his larger sample-sized 2022 season, Washington had 199 YAC, which accounted for 49.4% of his total yards (403). A bit of a downtick with more usage, but definitely a strength for him as a receiver that can hopefully continue with the Steelers.
To close, let’s look at a more total view using points earned per route (the total of a player’s EPA responsibility on targets using the Total Points system that distributes credit among all players on the field for a given play. Totals are scaled up to map to the average points scored or allowed on a team level, with the player’s snap count determining how much to adjust. For receivers, this includes accounting for offensive line play, off-target passes, dropped passes, and broken tackles) and positive rates (the percentage of passes thrown to the player that resulted in a positive EPA (i.e. a successful play for the offense):
When on the field in 2021, Washington provided great value for Georgia overall. Substantially, he topped the drafted tight ends in points earned per route and an 88.9% positive rate. He also ranked first in on-target catch percentage, drop rate (tied), completion percentage, first down rate, and broken/missed tackles per reception. He was also above average in pass distances, ranking third in ADoC and fourth in ADoT. The only aspect of today’s 2021 study he was below average in was opportunities, ranking last in routes run and targets. That is obviously extremely important context to the encouraging quality he provided.
In 2022, he continued strong value in broken/missed tackles (first), points earned per route (third), positive percentage (third), ADoC (third), strong YAC ability, and also above average in ADoT and first down rate, with many of these skills aligning well to needed improvements in Pittsburgh. Though he only had one regular-season touchdown his final two years, his 6’7” stature makes him intriguing in the red zone, aligning with another weakness of the 2022 Steelers offense he can help remedy this year. Washington was below average in opportunities, on target and completion rates, drop rate, and receiver rating in 2022, which emphasizes the quality wanning when called upon more. Here’s to hoping his rookie season aligns more to his 2021 results as a receiver, a complementary piece who can capitalize when called upon. He fared very well as a blocker in 2022, and I’m excited to dive into his 2021 contributions in that facet of the game soon. One thing’s for sure, I can’t wait to see how it pans out.
Throughout the rest of the offseason, I will dive deeper into the data as we continue to learn about the newest Pittsburgh Steelers. How do you think Darnell Washington will fare his rookie year? Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
