Kirby Smart, Todd Hartley salute Darnell Washington NFL Draft pick
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and tight ends coach Todd Hartley celebrated the Steelers’ NFL Draft selection of Darnell Washington.
And it was a long time coming for the Big Dawg.
The Steelers didn’t select Georgia’s massive tight end until the third round, at 93rd overall.
Some experts believed a giant talent like Darnell Washington could sneak into the first round.
At worst, he seemed like a second-round NFL Draft pick.
Apparently, injury concerns spooked franchises away from the Darnell Washington pick in the second round.
As is tradition in this 2023 NFL Draft however, a franchise out of the Keystone State just couldn’t keep its hands off of a top Dawgs talent.
And Kirby Smart made sure to get his hands on a congratulatory NFL Draft tweet.
After an entire round without one, both Smart and Hartley were chomping at the bit to salute their big man.
Darnell Washington didn’t have the gaudiest receiving stats at Georgia
He only finished his Dawgs career with three receiving touchdowns.
Yes, I have to double-check that stat every time I cite it.
Washington just carried such a large frame onto the field, it felt like he carried a correspondingly large body of work off of it.
Georgia flexed its Darnell Washington muscle against LSU in the SEC Championship game and cashed in on one of those scores, plus a two-point conversion.
One of those injury concerns arose during the CFP Peach Bowl Semifinal against Ohio State, when Washington injured his foot and left the game early.
He ultimately gave it a go against TCU in the National Championship game, and caught one pass for 28 yards.
Washington’s best work may have been at the NFL Scouting Combine
The Big 0 ran a 4.64 40-yard dash and his athleticism score of 91 ranked second among all tight ends in the draft class.
Washington put both his pass-catching and blocking talents on display at Lucas Oil Stadium. It seemed as if the buzz couldn’t be higher for the 6’7″ 264-pounder.
But evidently, that lengthy NFL Draft process gave more scouts and GMs time to look under the hood.
And when you’re that big, moving that dynamically, there’s just more to be concerned about, injury-wise.
Still, as long as Washington can stay healthy, you have to imagine there will be plenty of opportunities to show he is more than just a glorified offensive tackle in Pittsburgh.
As fellow Georgia teammate George Pickens can attest:
Even if you don’t get all the opportunities you hoped and dreamed for in the red and black, there’s always a chance to spread the rock around with the black and yellow.
