Darnell Ernest Washington (born August 17, 2001) is an American 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.
| No. 80 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | August 17, 2001 | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 265 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 2023 | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Early years
Washington 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
As 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
| 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
| 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]
NFL career statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | ||
| 2023 | PIT | 17 | 7 | 7 | 61 | 8.7 | 12 | 0 |
| Career | 17 | 7 | 7 | 61 | 8.7 | 12 | 0 | |