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Darnell Washington shows off freakish ability at NFL Combine

On3 imageby: Jake Rowe03/05/23JakeMRowe

Nolan Smith, Robert Beal, and Stetson Bennett have had great showings at the NFL Combine and Darnell Washington is joining the fold. He posted a 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds and put on a show during drill work.

He made an incredible one-handed catch during his workout, wowing those in attendance.

Washington measured in at 6-foot-6 and 5/8 inches and tipped the scales at 264 pounds. His hands also measured at 11 inches with arms in excess of 34 inches and a wingspan just south of 84 inches.

Washington speaks at NFL Combine…

The mammoth tight end had a career year in 2022 with 28 grabs for 454 yards and a pair of touchdowns, besting his numbers from the previous two years combined. But count him amongst those who feel his best football is ahead of him.

“I feel like I’m only scratching the surface,” Washington said on Friday when speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I feel like I’m a good blocker but I feel like I could turn into a great blocker. I feel like I’m a good athlete currently but I feel like I’m going to turn into a great athlete. I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.”

Brock Bowers was Georgia’s No. 1 pass-game target in general and obviously the top option at tight end. Washington, however, developed into one of College Football’s top blockers regardless of position.

“I take a lot of pride in it. I embraced it,” Washington said about taking a backseat role at times in the passing game and being a great blocker at his size. “I knew at the University of Georgia I wasn’t getting 40-50 catches; we had Brock Bowers, Ladd (McConkey). There’s only one football. You can’t give it to everyone. I embraced the role in blocking. That’s the mindset there.”

The Las Vegas native showed off his toughness in the National Championship game. After leaving the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl early with a foot injury, Washington gutted it out as the Bulldogs took down TCU 65-7. He had one catch for 28 yards in that game and played north of 30 snaps.

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