After a slow start during the first week of training camp, rookie TE Darnell Washington has begun to build off some strong showings over the past two days. While he was singled out for two reps won against OLB T.J. Watt in the blocking backs-on-‘backers drill, he’s also found his way into the end zone twice in as many days.
The 6-foot-7 specimen looked particularly impressive Tuesday, according to reports, using his considerable frame to create room in the end zone working against the 6-foot-2 DB Miles Killebrew and easily securing the touchdown by elevating.
Asked about how easy he made it look and if it’s something they can do with him a lot, Washington told reporters yesterday, via the team’s website, “Yeah, 100 percent. I mean, I played basketball in my time so I just look at it as a rebound. That’s just how I play. Box out to grabbing the ball off the board”.
Because that’s essentially what it was—or at least securing a pass under the basket, if not quite a rebound, since there’s no unpredictability about where the ball is supposed to go. But it’s the same concept of using your size to gain position and be where you need to be when the ball comes your way.
Though he was a five-star football recruit coming out of Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas, Washington was a multi-sport athlete and did play basketball for four years. He averaged 9.3 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game—not too far from a double-double. He also got himself a steal and a block per game.
Once he moved on to Georgia, it was all about football, but he wasn’t done using his body to move people where he wanted them to go. He became primarily associated with a physical style of blocking that often looked like rearranging furniture.
It wasn’t really until the latter portion of his college career that he began getting more involved in the Bulldogs’ passing game—little surprise given that they already had a talented pass-catching tight end on the roster, not to mention the annual parade of first-round wide receivers.
Though he’s been critical of his own shortcomings as a route-runner and receiver, he has certainly put some impressive plays on tape. You can see him using his body to secure one touchdown last season in this clip—it’s likely we’ll be seeing a fair deal more of them in the next few years.
Oh, and he can do this, too:
Box out the guy with one arm and go up and get the ball with the other. That’ll work.
