re: Darnell Washington TE Georgia

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I think he is Martellus Bennett. Decent career but not a perennial pro bowl TE.

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I agree. Somewhere between him and Mercedes Lewis. He's going to be in the league 10+ years but I don't know if he ever makes a pro bowl.

He clearly has athletic ability but I don't think he has shown a feel for the passing game or route running worthy of being a 1st round TE. If you're using a 1st on a TE they need to have consistent 900+ yard potential in the receiving game with some blocking.

One big issue is he's going to be a good blocker. When NFL teams have a good blocking TE they usually restrict their routes. Even a great receiver like Kittle is held way back because of his blocking.

The problem is drafting a guy with that profile because they can be found in FA pretty regularly and inexpensively. You can do this in the draft after the 1st, too. Go look at all the top TEs right now and see how many were 1st rounders.

The 1st round is way too valuable to spend on TEs unless they are a unicorn like Kyle Pitts. It's the same with RBs and LBs.

He actually has a higher RAS than Pitts (primarily b/c he's bigger, which shows a bias in the ranking), but Pitts was a unicorn because of his explosiveness, feel in the passing game, catching ability, and production. Those are the traits that make TEs super valuable.

I would draft Washington past pick 50 or so all day long. He's going to play in the NFL for a long time. I'm not saying he's a bad player. I just don't think he's shown the ability in the super valuable TE areas. Blocking? Sure, but that's dime a dozen stuff.

Even people who want to compare him to Gronk need to remember what Gronk looked like at Zona. Completely different receiving threat and traits. Just look at his ability to read the Ds to find the soft spots and get YAC.

Also, Gronk didn't go in the 1st, either (although injury may have been the reason why)

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He's entirely too big to be effective in the NFL.

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He runs a 4.6 40. His wingspan is over 80 inches and his hands are like 11 inches. He's a freak. He's going to be a successful TE.

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Bennet was fine, just not sure how much he cared. Or he could have made multiple pro bowls, not just 1

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I agree, and I get the same underachievement vibe from Washington. Not that he didn't care, rather it seemed he had unfulfilled expectations. Its probably unfair, but at the size and ability, he should've been closer to the player Brock Bowers was/is.


Before the combine, he was the 4th TE on the board, and some have him as high as 2nd now. I will say, he has a tremendous upside. If he goes to a team with the right system, he has the chance to be a hall of fame talent. He is an absolute freak of nature. If he is there in the 3rd, I would grab him. I doubt he will be there as his combine performance will have a team taking him before that.

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Lack of production from a college TE in a loaded room shouldn't draw anyone away because he wasn't used that way in college. Neither were George Kittle, Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham, etc.

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No it shouldn't. In all fairness, Kittle was a 5th rounder and Graham a 3rd. Olsen had much better production than Washington. I do like Washington and would love to have him, but I think he gets overdrafted.

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In all fairness, Kittle was a 5th rounder and Graham a 3rd

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Guys like that changed the way the position is drafted though

Every year, the draft is getting more and more away from stats based drafting. You don’t have to go to a big school anymore or put up gaudy numbers. Does the tape match the measurables?

That said, I think Washington is a little more stiff than Graham and Kittle types. But his floor is a TE who can wipe up some of these stud DEs while also being able to wash guys at the 2nd level. Willingly. That alone carries huge value

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Did you? He only has 3 career TDs. My biggest issue with him is his lack of production. He has all the measurables.

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That has everything to do with the presence of Bowers. Washington is a monster. Don’t really think he’s a first round monster, but I think he can be excellent in the right system.