Steelers 2-a-days: TE Darnell Washington a mountain of a rookie, CB Chris Wilcox with 4th team
Share this post:
Editor’s note: From the end of minicamp through the day the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2023 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, (at least) two per day, between June 16 and July 26. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
TE DARNELL WASHINGTON
Experience: Rookie
Contract status: $973,438 cap hit in 2023, signed through 2026
2023 outlook: There might not be a more intriguing third-round pick in recent Steelers memory. Washington was a first-round talent in many “mock” drafts, but that isn’t why he’s such a fascinating prospect the Steelers grabbed at No. 93 overall. Washington was a backup in college — but for the nation’s best team. A two-time national champion, he was one of the country’s most-coveted recruits three years ago. It’s easy to see why. At 6-foot-7, 264 pounds with speed in the 4.6-seconds range for the 40-yard dash, Washington rated as one of the best pure size/strength/measurables draft prospects. His lack of college production (28 catches, 454 yards, two touchdowns in 2022) was attributable more to the bounty of riches Georgia had on offense, including the Mackey Award winner as the nation’s best tight end in Brock Bowers.
Washington was regarded highly enough among his coaches that he earned the start in 14 of the Bulldogs’ 15 games. And for what he might have lacked in production, it was Washington’s blocking that really turned heads. As Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said upon drafting him, Washington’s proficiency and willingness to block equate to him owning a license plate that says, “Sixth Offensive Lineman.” Pro Football Focus graded Washington in the top five of all tight ends nationally in overall blocking and pass blocking, and eighth in run blocking. But he also ranked 11th (among 145 qualifiers who had the most targets) in receiving. Per PFF, he caught 38 of 55 targeted throws over the past two seasons
It was “football in shorts,” yes, but Washington was frequently sent out in routes in first-team settings during organized team activities and minicamp this summer. He had the look of a playmaker in such instances, too — a big playmaker. His 83.75-inch wingspan was the largest ever recorded at the NFL combine for a tight end.
Between his blocking and his athleticism, Washington has the potential to be a big-time matchup problem for defenses.
The #Steelers used their third-round draft pick on the massive junior from Georgia because of his blocking ability and chance to be a viable red-zone target for second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. https://t.co/1FiF3HIQ77
— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) July 12, 2023
CB CHRIS WILCOX
Experience: No regular-season games while part of four teams’ rosters since being drafted in 2021
Contract status: $750,000 cap hit if he makes the team in 2023
2023 outlook: Wilcox has 13 days to his credit as a member of an NFL 53-man active roster. Those came during his 2021 rookie season as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, who’d claimed him off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the end of that preseason. The Bucs had drafted him in the seventh round out of BYU. The Steelers are his fourth team, including a two-week stint at the end of last season on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad. Wilcox, who has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game, was signed by the Steelers to a reserve/future deal Jan. 11.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Wilcox tied for the eighth-fastest time in the 40-yard dash at the 2021 NFL combine (fourth-fastest among cornerbacks) at 4.39 seconds. That size and speed combination is rare. But he was oft-injured in college, so his lack of overall play (16 live games, including the preseason, since the end of the 2018 college season) makes him raw. The idea might be that he’s a practice-squad player — but three other teams, apparently, decided that wasn’t going to work out.
But if Wilcox impresses during camp and the preseason, the Steelers might find it worthwhile to keep him around.
Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.