When the pads went on this week, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie TE Darnell Washington showed out, displaying great ability in backs on ‘backers and using his physicality to his advantage in the passing game as well. Even though the pads came off today, Washington once again showcased his ability in the receiving game catching the winning touchdown during the two-minute drill .
After practice, head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Washington and his recent pass-catching showcases given that after he was drafted Washington was mostly praised for his run blocking.
“I didn’t see any deficiency in that area of his game, to be honest with you,” Tomlin said in a video Jack Hillgrove posted to Twitter. “He made a one-hand catch at his Pro Day that kind of got my and everyone’s attention and it’s kind of been a continuation of that. I think sometimes because of his stature and reputation that you think he’s one dimensional, but you’d be wrong in thinking that.”
Standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 264 pounds, Washington is not built like your average tight end; the man is a mountain. Because of how good of a run blocker he is, and his enormous size, some people focus on his blocking ability rather than the way he can be a mismatch in the passing game.
While Washington didn’t see volume regarding targets at Georgia, in his junior year he caught 28 passes for 454 yards and two touchdowns, all career-highs. Something to note is that until his junior year he never played more than eight games, limiting the stats he could have.
Washington notably slid down the 2023 NFL Draft due to medical concerns. That is how the Steelers were able to draft him in the third round and now Washington is planning on proving his worth. With TE Pat Freiermuth obviously going to be the main pass-catching tight end, Washington will primarily be asked to block early in his career. That doesn’t mean he can’t and won’t participate in the passing game.
Given his size he should see plenty of snaps in the red zone and could be a favorite target QB Kenny Pickett due his ability to box players out. The other day in Seven Shots, Washington was blanketed yet because of his size was able to box out and jump over defender Miles Killebrew for the score.
Washington should be able impact the Steelers’ offense in both the run and the pass game, something that not many expected when he was drafted. The fact he fell to Pittsburgh is a blessing for the Steelers as his presence could have a huge impact on the offense this year. If he develops like he should and stays healthy, Pittsburgh could have the best tight end duo in the NFL for quite a long time.
