Possibilities are limitless for Darnell Washington in the NFL
Former Georgia tight end Darnell Washington was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers last Friday night in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Part of a deep class at his position, the selection at No. 93 was surprisingly late. Some even projected him as a first rounder throughout the pre-draft process. However, one person you won’t hear complain is Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada. He knows what Washington can bring to the table at 6-foot-7 and nearly 270 pounds.
“He’s unbelievable. It’s all over the tape. He’s a giant human being that takes pride in blocking. He enjoys being a blocker like he’s been quoted saying. He’s a sixth offensive lineman. I mean, he really understands what his body can do, and I do think he can catch balls,” Canada said. “They had so many weapons at Georgia, I’m not sure his totals are maybe what you might think they could be, but he is definitely a blocker. As a guy, we obviously formaled him, met with him there in Indy and we had him back. He’s a really really really good person, likes football, likes being physical and I’m really excited about it.”
Canada confirmed that the Steelers weren’t a part of any group that talked to Washington about becoming an offensive tackle at the next level. The Las Vegas, Nevada native made mention that a few teams briefly brought up the idea with him at the NFL Scouting Combine in March, but his showcase of athleticism there likely put that to bed. Highlights of Washington’s one-handed catch made the rounds on social media during the event, and his 4.64 40-yard dash time at that size blew people away.
“We weren’t in that group, but he’s a huge human being. If you guys haven’t met him in person, he’s one of those guys that when you meet him in person it’s like, ‘He’s bigger than I thought.’ I mean, he’s really blessed in a lot of different ways physically,” Canada said. “He can block. He can run. Again, he’s a really good guy. For us, we know where he’s going to be, and we’re excited about his role where he is.”
“He can be anything,” Canada continued when asked about the role Washington could play in the red zone. “Obviously his size comes into play. We’ve got a lot of good weapons right now. I do believe that because of the weapons that they had on their team his pass catching total might not be as impressive as some when you just look at stats, but you know, that’s what a lot of people do. He does make plays on the ball. He can run after the catch. He has a couple real impressive highlights running through guys, running over guys. So yeah, he can be a weapon in different parts of the field for sure.”
Washington caught three touchdowns of the course of his Georgia career, two of them as jump balls in the end zone. In total, the former five-star from the Class of 2020 hauled in 45 passes for 774 yards including a career-high 28 for 454 this past season.
