Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted three players in the first two rounds this year, I’m not sure how many fans’ current favorite pick would come from that group. Many instead seem to gravitate to their mid-round selections in OLB Nick Herbig and TE Darnell Washington—not without good reason.
Both of them should play a significant role in today’s game, with Washington now the number two tight end with Zach Gentry gone. Head coach Mike Tomlin praised his “definitive play demeanor” as a very large man who likes to move other large men against their will while speaking to Bob Pompeani yesterday for the Mike Tomlin Show via the team’s YouTube channel.
“That has been his demeanor”, he said, though their impression has evolved since getting him on the practice field. “That’s what made him attractive on college tape. That’s what he did in Athens, Ga., and he has the skill set to do it, but make no mistake, I don’t think any of us would be disappointed if he’s scoring touchdowns”.
Washington didn’t exactly blow things up during the preseason as a receiving target. Officially, he caught two passes for 15 yards with a long of nine. But that doesn’t account for the multiple defensive pass interference penalties he drew in the end zone.
And it doesn’t take into account what the Steelers actually saw with their own eyes on Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent College during their weeks-long excursion in Latrobe fore training camp. He clearly showed there that he has more to offer as a receiver than he had the opportunity to prove with the Georgia Bulldogs.
The reasons for that have been highlighted ad infinitum, but playing behind one of the best receiving tight ends in college football will never help you get more targets. You can see his skill set, however, with the ability to make impressive one-handed catches, use his 6-foot-7 frame to box out defenders in tight spaces, and introduce more shake and shimmy in his routes than you might expect.
The issue is just getting him the work and letting him grow. Nobody is more critical of his receiving ability than Washington himself, and that’s a good thing. Yes, he has work to do, but if they allow him, he can be a meaningful contributor in that area—like, today.
While Tomlin says nobody would be disappointed if he’s catching touchdowns, it is a matter of actually utilizing him in ways that are conducive to him finding the end zone. Will they? That is what we will find out.
