Steelers: OTA's prove one draft pick is in for a steep learning curve
When the Steelers drafted Darnell Washington late on day two of the draft, many pegged him as an immediate steal. And given his ability to beat people at the point of attack, the Steelers likely drafted the best blocking tight end in the draft. But after some recent clips surfaced from OTA's, Washington has a […]
When the Steelers drafted Darnell Washington late on day two of the draft, many pegged him as an immediate steal.
And given his ability to beat people at the point of attack, the Steelers likely drafted the best blocking tight end in the draft.
But after some recent clips surfaced from OTA's, Washington has a long way to go before he's winning as a receiver in the NFL.
Washington blew away the scouting community at the NFL Combine, where, when you paired his tape with obscene height-weight-agility combinations, he left many thinking he may be a first-round pick.
It turned out that some medical issues may have scared teams, allowing Washington to fall all the way to the third round and making him one of the best value picks in the 2023 draft.
But when you watch his route running early in OTA's, you can see that Washington will likely play a role for the Steelers, but don't expect him to overtake the tight end one position anytime soon.
Now, I understand that it's only May and that the reps are probably not even full speed, but Washington will have to refine his route running if he wants to be a middle-of-field savant similar to Travis Kelce per se.
This route is too robotic. There isn't enough "juice" which would be suddenness in his footwork, nor is the route as smooth as you would like, as Washington looked a little stiff.
Those are the two ways you win with routes, footwork, and hips. And I'm confident that Washington will grow in those two areas. We know he has absurd athleticism, evident by his 91 overall athletic grade at the combine via Next Gen Stats. But as Nick Farabaugh who covers the Steelers for SteelersNow said after watching him in person at OTA's, Washington has a ways to go:
This route is just one such example of his routes lacking polish, said Farabaugh. Washington is never going to be a great break-it-down and make-crazy-cuts route runner. That’s not who he is nor will he ever be that. The Steelers OTAs reps and the Georgia tape tell you that is where the most growth will come from during his rookie season. Washington will help the Steelers early on as a blocker, I have no doubt about it. But I am not sure that contributions in the passing game will be so plentiful early on aside from select plays.
Time will tell how great Washington can be, and he immediately unlocks the Steelers' potential to play two-tight end sets, with Pat Friermuth as the pass catcher and Washington as the road-grader, the next step is his evolution as a receiving threat.
