After an impressive two years at the University of Georgia that included some Herculean feats as a blocker and a pass catcher, the hype surrounding TE Darnell Washington entering the NFL was real.
At 6-7, 270 pounds, guys aren’t supposed to move that well at that size and at the tight end position. That made Washington different. Even with falling to the third round and not getting much work in the passing game through his first seven games with the Pittsburgh Steelers in his rookie season, Washington has been impressing teammates with his size and strength at the point of attack, especially veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson II.
Appearing on the The Player’s Point on SiriusXM NFL Radio with free agent NFL tight end Colin Thompson Tuesday night, Robinson spoke highly of his rookie teammate, praising him for not only his eye-opening size, but his overall strength and physicality at the point of attack as a blocker.
“Yeah, man. I mean, Darnell [Washington], he’s a big dude. I joke with him and call him Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal]. Just so big, seriously, man. But being able to see a guy like that that’s so strong at the point of attack is pretty cool. Like I said before, he’s a big dude. He makes bigger guys look small,” Robinson said to Thompson, according to audio via SiriusXM.com. “The same with Pat [Freiermuth]. Pat’s not a little guy either. But we just spoke to different shapes, sizes, talents and different things like that.
“For Pat to be a bigger dude and just seeing the way he gets in and out of some of his breaks…like I said before, man, the league is constantly evolving, and it’s been cool to see all the different sizes of guys come around.”
At Washington’s size, he looks like he should be on the hardwood playing in the NBA, especially that strength and athleticism. Yet, he’s in the NFL as a tight end and is holding his own — for the most part.
Though the production in the passing game isn’t quite there, which has one Steelers beat writer believing that Georgia knew what it was doing not using him as a receiver much, Washington has really settled well into his blocking role, utilizing his frame and strength to be that essential extra offensive lineman for the Steelers.
Along with his great frame and 34 3/8-inch arms, Washington has off-the-charts testing numbers that really opened eyes at the NFL Scouting Combine. Washington ran a 4.64 40 and had a 10’2” broad jump, elite numbers at the position. It’s been a bit frustrating to see that type of size and athleticism be so limited within the offensive scheme as a receiving threat, but that hasn’t taken away from his prowess as a blocker.
So far this season, Washington has played 190 snaps offensively for the Steelers and grades out at a 49.3 overall from Pro Football Focus. That might not seem all that great, but Washington has a 78.0 grade as a pass blocker and a 53.0 grade as a run blocker.
He’s recorded some big pancake blocks on the season in the preseason and regular season, including on San Francisco’s Nick Bosa.
Type of size, length and strength at the position continue to evolve within the NFL game. Washington is seemingly at the forefront of that, which has Robinson excited to see it moving forward.
Hopefully in the second half of the season, Washington can be utilized a bit more in the passing game and especially in the red zone, maybe having an opportunity to fulfill some of those Shaq comparisons from Robinson.
