Darnell Washington
- Rookie Draft Ranking: 30th overall (TE6)
- Rookie Model Percentile: 64th
- Underdog ADP: 221
- Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Steelers (92nd overall)
Fantasy Outlook
Quote from Fantasy Impact: “He’d best fit on an offense with at least two established receivers but could earn in-line snaps while developing his route running. ”
OK, so Darnell Washington got what he needed.
Pittsburgh has two established receivers in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. But, the Steelers can boast a bit more firepower than their primary duo.
Pat Freiermuth, direct competition for Washington, was second on the team in red-zone looks last year. Plus, the team signed Allen Robinson to play on the interior for them. Even with pass-blocking snaps likely available for Washington, targets will be hard to come by in this offense, making him tough to trust in any fantasy format.
Way-too-early 2023 redraft rank: Waiver wire target
Summary
You can probably figure out how I approach dynasty leagues (or any other fantasy format) through all the stats I quote or charts I use. I’m a “process over results” guy. It’s not just an ethos for me but also a clothing style. And the process would have me shy away from any tight end.
But then I saw Darnell Washington at the NFL Combine.
Athletic outliers like Washington should always pique our interest. Despite only accumulating 454 yards in his final collegiate season, he generated the second-most first downs per target (0.51) in a deep tight end prospect class.
I have concerns about Washington’s ability to earn looks, but with Day 2 draft potential, his situation may lend itself to fantasy success in his rookie season.
Pros
Monster after the catch
Washington (literally) stands tall at 6’7” and 264 lbs., but blazed across Lucas Oil Stadium with a 4.64 40-yard time. Creating yards after the catch is second nature for the Georgia product, and his innate ability to flow through traffic (or perform his best Juggernaut impression) earned him 7.6 yards after the catch (YAC) per reception per PFF (second-most in the class).
However, there’s more to his YAC-ability than just athleticism.
The #process points us toward WRs with a TE designation. Routes and targets are our strongest indicators, but so is alignment. Tight ends placed in wide receiver positions (like in the slot or out wide) perform like, well, wide receivers. But Washington found his own way.
Washington had the fifth-highest rate of in-line snaps for his class (66.9%). He (respectfully) asked pass rushers to rethink their assignment (third-highest PFF grade) while having a higher forced missed tackle rate (12.8%) than consensus TE1 Michael Mayer (11.9%).
With Washington already proficient as a blocker, his versatility as an explosive receiver should net him snaps regardless of his landing spot.
Converts opportunity into production
Washington being an efficient receiver feels like an obvious leap after I just highlighted his YAC potential. But Georgia’s TE2 had two things working against him (hint: I just alluded to one): target competition and deployment. He played behind Brock Bowers while tethered to the line of scrimmage.
A string of explosive plays could skew his after-the-catch stats, only adding uncertainty to his profile. Luckily, Washington was productive when Stetson Bennett looked his way.
The former Bulldog was one of just two TEs in this class who were top seven in average depth of target (aDOT) and yards per route run (YPRR). Washington’s final-season 10.7 aDOT shows the exceptional athlete could get open downfield, while his 1.84 YPRR emphasizes a target-to-target consistency to his game.
So, even with a limited role, Washington can put up spike weeks for fantasy managers.
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Cons
Couldn’t stand out
Ironically, a player like Washington, at 6’7”, couldn’t stand out on the field. Hopefully, that joke didn’t go over your head. Fortunately, Darnell’s too tall to miss a bit of dad humor, but coaches and GMs won’t miss the 60 targets on his collegiate resume. And, as I mentioned before, his teammate in the same position outplayed him.
Washington may have been third on Georgia’s depth chart, but his 9.2% target share last year suggested his lack of looks was more than a function of his situation. And no matter what metric I use, his workload share appears meager relative to his classmates.
His “jack of all trades, master of none” trait may come back to haunt him.
In a packed TE class, Washington’s inability to separate from his teammates makes breaking away from his peers hard. And actually, he even had a tough time separating from defenders. His YPRR split against man and zone coverage was the second-highest in the class.
To be fair, there are sampling differences to contextualize here. Washington only ran 46 routes against man coverage compared to his 122 versus zone.
Regardless, the disparity between the two and his scant portion of the Georgia offense may cause some front offices to focus on what he can’t do (yet) compared to his current skillset.
Fantasy Impact
At first glance, Washington’s inability to earn targets and in-line usage makes him a better real football player than a fantasy asset. However, we can’t overlook his efficiency and knack for creating big plays with the ball in his hands.
Ultimately, Washington’s landing spot will determine his value in fantasy drafts. He doesn’t even have an ADP and sits in dart-throw territory if you prefer three TE builds. He’d best fit on an offense with at least two established receivers but could earn snaps in-line while developing his route running.
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