Georgia tight end and 2023 NFL draft prospect Darnell Washington’s football career nearly brought him to Miami once.
It was the summer of 2019, and Washington was a five-star recruit from Las Vegas. Flying across the country, he was the star of the Miami Hurricanes’ marquee recruiting event, Paradise Camp, with current UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, then a four-star recruit from Connecticut, continuously finding the mammoth tight end in 7-on-7 drills.
Washington considered Miami significantly in his recruitment but ultimately decided to become a Georgia Bulldog.
Now, Washington, who officially measured in at 6 foot 7 and 264 pounds at the NFL scouting combine, could interest the Miami Dolphins as they are surely looking to fill a need at the position in this draft.
It would probably take either a trade up or an unexpected drop in the draft for Washington for Miami to select him. The massive tight end is widely projected to be taken off the board by the time the Dolphins make their first 2023 selection at No. 51, a mid-second-round pick. But it could provide a full-circle moment if it happens.
“I don’t want to say this because it may or not be true, but if I probably didn’t end up at Georgia, maybe Miami. I’m not 1,000 percent sure,” said Washington at the combine, adding he had met with the Dolphins.
More so than the city or the sunshine, what made Miami appealing to Washington was his bond with former Hurricanes tight ends coach Stephen Field, who is now executive director of football recruiting at UM.
“Coach Field, he’s a similar guy like me. I feel like we come from similar backgrounds,” Washington said. “Just a great guy. I wanted to play for him, but I also wanted to get developed. I’m not saying he wouldn’t develop me, but I just wanted to get the most developed I can. And I believed in [Georgia tight ends] coach Todd Hartley for that.”
Washington also wouldn’t have sniffed the two national championships he won in three years with the Bulldogs had he opted for the Hurricanes.
But he might’ve played a greater role in the offense. One criticism is that he was essentially the backup tight end for Georgia the past two seasons behind Brock Bowers, who is primed to be one of the 2024 draft’s top overall prospects.
At Miami, he might’ve teamed up with another tight end in this draft, Will Mallory, once another Las Vegas product, Brevin Jordan, departed for the 2021 draft. Mallory, a five-year player for the Hurricanes, recalls witnessing Washington’s once-in-a-generation size at the team’s indoor practice facility that Paradise Camp.
“I remember being there, and I was looking up at him like, ‘This guy is huge,’ ” Mallory said at the combine. “I knew he was a special player. Obviously, he spent most of his career up in Georgia. But it just seemed like we had a talented group there, and he would’ve been a great addition, as well. The guys that are here now, special group, so I’m excited for that.”
The Dolphins, under coach Mike McDaniel, offensive coordinator Frank Smith and tight ends coach Jon Embree for a second season, are rebuilding their tight end room. They reached an extension with Durham Smythe this offseason but allowed the pass-catching but ineffective blocker Mike Gesicki walk in free agency to the New England Patriots. They traded Hunter Long and released Cethan Carter, while signing Eric Saubert in free agency and head into 2022 undrafted rookie Tanner Conner’s second season.
With just Smythe, Saubert and Conner on the roster, they’re likely looking at tight end in the draft. If one is chosen with that 51st pick, or in the third round, he’ll have to be a strong blocker to fit McDaniel’s offense that relies heavily on the wide-zone blocking scheme in the run game.
Washington, at his size, is among the most powerful moving defenders but may need to shore up his fundamentals and technique early in his time as a professional. He can also be an effective pass catcher when utilized and is tough to bring down once he has the ball in his hands.
Some mock drafts have him selected toward the end of the first, but if he dips into the second round, he’s not expected to last long on April 28. If the Dolphins target him, it may require a trade up, which, with just four 2023 draft picks, might involve expending some 2024 draft capital.
