Darnell Ernest Washington (born August 17, 2001) is an American professional football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a two-time CFP national champion while playing college football at Georgia, winning in 2021 and 2022.
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| No. 80 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 17, 2001 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 264 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Desert Pines (Las Vegas) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia (2020–2022) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 3 / pick: 93 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early life
editWashington was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 17, 2001.[citation needed] He attended Desert Pines High School, where he played football and basketball.[1] During his time on the football team Desert Pines won back to back state championships in the years 2016–2017.[2] A five-star recruit in football, he committed to play college football at the University of Georgia.[3][4]
College career
editAs a true freshman at Georgia, Darnell recorded 166 yards on seven receptions.[5]
In Washington's second season he put up 145 yards on nine receptions and scored one touchdown. This touchdown was the first of Washington's career and it came in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama.[6] Washington's longest gain of the season came on a 32 yard reception against Florida. He appeared in seven games and missed time due to having to have surgery for a minor fracture in his foot.[7][8][9] In the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, Georgia defeated Alabama 33–18.[10]
During Washington's third season, he recorded 28 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns.[11] As a result, Washington was named to the Second-team All-SEC.[12] On January 12, 2023, Washington declared for the 2023 NFL draft.[11][13]
Statistics
edit| Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Receiving | ||||||||||||||||
| GP | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 4 | 7 | 166 | 23.7 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | 8 | 10 | 154 | 15.4 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | 15 | 28 | 454 | 16.2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Career | 27 | 45 | 774 | 17.2 | 3 | |||||||||||||
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6+5⁄8 in (2.00 m) |
264 lb (120 kg) |
34+3⁄8 in (0.87 m) |
11 in (0.28 m) |
4.64 s | 1.57 s | 2.67 s | 4.08 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
21 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[14][15] | ||||||||||||
Washington was drafted 93rd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and on May 12, 2023, he signed his rookie contract.[16] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and made seven starts. He had seven receptions for 61 receiving yards.[17] During his tenure as a rookie, he was given the nickname "Mount Washington" due to his large frame and as a reference to the Pittsburgh landmark/neighborhood Mount Washington.[18]
In his second season, Washington would score his first career touchdown on a five yard pass from Justin Fields to put the first points on the board in a 13-6 Steelers victory over the Denver Broncos.[19][20] After the touchdown reception, Washington celebrated by giving a salute. He would explain in a post-game interview the salute was for his brother, a member of the United States Marines.[21]
NFL career statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | ||
| 2023 | PIT | 17 | 7 | 7 | 61 | 8.7 | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 | PIT | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 5 | 1 |
| Career | 19 | 8 | 9 | 71 | 7.9 | 12 | 1 | |
References
edit- ^ Brewer, Ray (May 20, 2018). "Desert Pines' Darnell Washington 'shocked' by Alabama scholarship offer – High School Sports News –". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Orts, Jason (November 29, 2019). "Unbeaten Desert Pines cruising into state semifinals". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ Daniels, Tim (January 2, 2020). "5-Star TE Recruit Darnell Washington Commits to Georgia over Alabama, More". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Orts, Jason (January 3, 2020). "Desert Pines football star Darnell Washington signs with Georgia". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Hunte, Sydney (April 7, 2022). "Darnell Washington discusses first 2 years at Georgia, working back from injury to return to field". Saturday Down South. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Culpepper, Chuck; Hill, Glynn A. (December 4, 2021). "Alabama thrashes Georgia's vaunted defense to win SEC championship". Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Austin, Brooks (August 18, 2021). "SOURCE: Darnell Washington Undergoes Surgery". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Reno, Harrison (August 17, 2022). "Darnell Washington's NFL Draft is Stock Rising Upon Junior Season". Yardbarker. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Riker, John (April 7, 2022). "Georgia tight end Darnell Washington staying engaged despite leg injury". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Kantowski, Ron (January 15, 2022). "Ex-Desert Pines star Darnell Washington celebrates national title". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Morgan, James (January 12, 2023). "Georgia TE Darnell Washington makes NFL draft decision". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ Kirby II, Christian (December 8, 2022). "Georgia Tight ends make SEC history". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Polacek, Scott (January 12, 2023). "Georgia's Darnell Washington Declares for 2023 NFL Draft After Winning National Title". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Darnell Washington Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Darnell Washington College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Kozora, Alex (May 12, 2023). "Steelers Sign 3rd-Round Pick TE Darnell Washington To Four-Year Deal". SteelersDepot.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Darnell Washington 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ Graves, Will (May 13, 2023). "The new Mount Washington? Rookie tight end brings unusual size, skill set to Steelers". AP News. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Popejoy, Curt (September 15, 2024). "Watch Steelers TE Darnell Washington score his first NFL touchdown". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/game/9-15-2024-pit-at-den-18511
- ^ Carney, Josh (September 16, 2024). "A New Mile High Salute: Darnell Washington Reveals Meaning Behind TD Celebration". Steelers Depot. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- Pittsburgh Steelers bio
- Georgia Bulldogs bio