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Darnell Washington: 5 things to know about Pittsburgh Steelers 3rd round pick

ryan miller, rochester democrat and chronicle
·3 min read

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Georgia tight end Darnell Washington with the No. 93 overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Here are five things to know about Washington.

A five-star recruit

Washington was a top 25 prospect (No. 19 by ESPN and No. 23 by 247 Sports) in the high school class of 2020 out of Desert Pines in Las Vegas. He was also the starting power forward on a state championship team and state shot put champion. Washington had offers from more than two dozen Power Five schools. He won back-to-back national titles with Georgia and declared for the draft after his junior season.

He's enormous and a different kind of dual threat

Washington is 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds and ran a 4.64 40-yard dash. At the NFL Combine, he had 11-inch hands and an 83 3/4-inch wing span, the largest wing span ever recorded for a tight end. He's one of the most freakish athletes in the draft and has the size and strength to create mismatches in the run and pass game. Washington is a huge red-zone target. Scouts think he can become a dominant run blocker and even double as another offensive tackle.

Not much receiving usage at Georgia

Washington is athletic with solid hands and is tough to bring down, but he didn't see a ton of targets with the Bulldogs. He caught 26 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games last year. He had the highest run-blocking game among SEC tight end from Pro Football Focus.

He grew up in foster care and endured homelessness

Washington is one of eight siblings. His father left the family when he was 6 years old and he spent a few years bouncing around in foster homes before reuniting with his mother. He enrolled in several different elementary and middle schools while living in poverty. Washington often asked his classmates for leftovers during lunch so he didn't go hungry. There was a stretch in high school which Washington's family slept in a rented U-Haul after they were evicted from an apartment.

Darnell Washington's measurables

  • Height: 6'7"

  • Weight: 264 lbs.

  • Arm: 34 3/8"

  • Hand: 11"

  • 40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds

  • 10-yard split: 1.57 seconds

  • Vertical jump: 31"

  • Broad jump: 10'2"

  • 20-yard shuttle: 4.08

  • Bench press: 21 reps

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Darnell Washington: 5 things to know about Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Draft pick