
Draft Note by John Paulsen
Washington is one of the more interesting athletic profiles at the position–6'7" with a 96th-percentile speed score, the kind of physical archetype that should translate into a featured receiving role at some point in his NFL career. The 2025 numbers don't yet reflect that potential: he averaged 3.6 points per game on just 43 targets. But the advanced metrics tell a more intriguing story. His YPRR (85th percentile), YAC per reception (97th percentile), and avoided tackle rate (98th percentile) are all elite–when Washington gets the ball, he creates after the catch better than nearly any TE in the league. The drop rate (7th percentile) is a real concern that he'll need to address. Jonnu Smith's departure clears the secondary TE role, and even with Pat Freiermuth firmly entrenched as the lead, Washington should see more snaps and more route opportunities. The HC Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers combination should lean slightly more pass-heavy than recent Steelers offenses, and 12-personnel sets that feature both tight ends are likely to be a meaningful component of the playbook. He's a deep-league dart throw with legitimate athletic upside if the volume materializes.
Darnell Washington
- TE
- , Pittsburgh Steelers
- 25
- 264 lbs
- 6' 7"
- Georgia
- 269
- 2
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Ian Rapoport
·Dec 28, 2025 · 4:38 PM EST
2026 Draft note
Washington is one of the more interesting athletic profiles at the position–6'7" with a 96th-percentile speed score, the kind of physical archetype that should translate into a featured receiving role at some point in his NFL career. The 2025 numbers don't yet reflect that potential: he averaged 3.6 points per game on just 43 targets. But the advanced metrics tell a more intriguing story. His YPRR (85th percentile), YAC per reception (97th percentile), and avoided tackle rate (98th percentile) are all elite–when Washington gets the ball, he creates after the catch better than nearly any TE in the league. The drop rate (7th percentile) is a real concern that he'll need to address. Jonnu Smith's departure clears the secondary TE role, and even with Pat Freiermuth firmly entrenched as the lead, Washington should see more snaps and more route opportunities. The HC Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers combination should lean slightly more pass-heavy than recent Steelers offenses, and 12-personnel sets that feature both tight ends are likely to be a meaningful component of the playbook. He's a deep-league dart throw with legitimate athletic upside if the volume materializes.
2026 Strength of Schedule - PIT
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 | W14 | W15 | W16 | W17 | W18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 ATL | 24 @NE | 31 CIN | 7 @CLE | 21 IND | 22 @TB | 17 @NO | 7 CLE | BYE | 31 @CIN | 3 @PHI | 25 DEN | 15 HOU | 28 @JAX | 1 BAL | 4 CAR | 20 @TEN | 1 @BAL |
Schedule difficulty based on schedule-adjusted, positional defensive ranking. Top DEF = 1, bottom DEF = 32.
Game Stats
| Week | Opp | Rec | RecYds | RecTD | Tgts | YPR | RuAtt | RuYds | RuTD | Fum | YPC | STD | 0.5 PPR | PPR | Snaps | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @NYJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 26/56 | 46.4% |
| 2 | SEA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 2.00 | 2.0 | 23/62 | 37.1% |
| 3 | @NE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 20/54 | 37.0% |
| 4 | MIN | 3 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 6.67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 3.50 | 5.0 | 48/53 | 90.6% |
| 5 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | CLE | 3 | 62 | 0 | 5 | 20.67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6.2 | 7.70 | 9.2 | 47/59 | 79.7% |
| 7 | @CIN | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0.67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6.2 | 7.70 | 9.2 | 36/57 | 63.2% |
| 8 | GB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 29/63 | 46.0% |
| 9 | IND | 4 | 43 | 0 | 6 | 10.75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4.3 | 6.30 | 8.3 | 41/62 | 66.1% |
| 10 | @LAC | 1 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 15.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.5 | 2.00 | 2.5 | 25/52 | 48.1% |
| 11 | CIN | 4 | 67 | 0 | 5 | 16.75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6.7 | 8.70 | 10.7 | 46/65 | 70.8% |
| 12 | @CHI | 2 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 11.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.2 | 3.20 | 4.2 | 49/72 | 68.1% |
| 13 | BUF | 2 | 45 | 0 | 4 | 22.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4.5 | 5.50 | 6.5 | 34/43 | 79.1% |
| 14 | @BAL | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 12.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.2 | 1.70 | 2.2 | 15/52 | 28.8% |
| 15 | MIA | 3 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 8.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.5 | 4.00 | 5.5 | 48/66 | 72.7% |
| 16 | @DET | 3 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 12.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 1.6 | 3.10 | 4.6 | 50/74 | 67.6% |
| 17 | @CLE | 2 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 7.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.5 | 2.50 | 3.5 | 9/66 | 13.6% |
O
Injury Details (w18)
Status: Out Injury: Hand/wrist | BAL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Per game | 1.94 | 22.75 | 0.06 | 2.69 | 11.74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 2.65 | 3.62 | 4.59 | 34.13/59.75 | 57.18% | |
| Totals | 31 | 364 | 1 | 43 | 11.74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 42.4 | 57.9 | 73.4 | 546/956 | 57.18% | |






