For USC WR prospect Tahj Washington, seeing former teammates excel in the NFL has given him confidence that he can make the jump from being a college football standout to a playmaker at the next level.
“You’ve seen those guys put in the work and for them to be able to be rewarded and you see where they are today,” Washington told our Joe Clark, who is in Texas for this year’s Shrine Bowl. “It just gives you a little more confidence to just keep going and keep trusting the process.”
Washington spent his final three seasons at the University of Southern California, so he has no shortage of former teammates to look up to in the NFL. Look no further than just last year when WR Jordan Addison was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft or WR Drake London the year prior. Washington’s play reached a new height in his final season at USC with a career-high 59 receptions for 1,062 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He had 2022 Heisman Trophy-winner QB Caleb Williams throwing him the ball for his final two seasons and that connection paid off for the Trojans in 2023.
Prior to his time at USC, Washington spent two seasons at the University of Memphis where he played with current Steelers WR Calvin Austin III. Clark asked him about his connection to Austin and if he would like to reunite with his former teammate in Pittsburgh.
“That would definitely be cool,” Washington said. “I love Calvin. Calvin’s a guy that helped me a lot when I got to Memphis. Just being an older guy, having experience of having to put in the work to play games. He was my roommate for game days, so we grew a lot and know each other.”
Washington’s anecdote of Austin draws parallels to Austin and WR Allen Robinson II. Austin recently spoke on the Arthur Moats Experience podcast about how much having a veteran guy like Robinson around has helped him to become a better pro. Those bonds, especially while players are still trying to make it in their playing careers, can last a lifetime.
Washington was a freshman at Memphis while Austin was in his sophomore season. Neither played much that year, but they both broke out in 2020 as Washington had 743 receiving yards to Austin’s 1,053. At the end of the below clip, you can see Austin celebrating with Washington in the end zone after a long touchdown catch.
The Steelers are in need of a slot receiver in this year’s draft. They have struggled to get much out of the position for the past couple years. At 5-10, 175 pounds, Washington projects as a slot receiver in the NFL. He is only slightly bigger than Austin, whom the Steelers had high hopes for in 2023. Austin only ended up with 17 receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown in his second season as a pro. Could his former teammate be a late-round prospect to consider bringing in for competition at slot receiver?
