Should the Dolphins move up for this player? Here’s a network analyst encouraging that
Moving up in the second day of the draft can be pretty costly.
On the second night of the 2021 draft, the Dolphins dealt a 2022 third-round pick to move up from 50 to 42 to select guard Liam Eichenberg.
So will there be any player in this draft who could entice the Dolphins to make a similar move and move up from 51, which is Miami’s first selection in this draft?
If there is, tight end, right tackle and perhaps nose tackle would be the positions to do it, because those represent the three spots on the roster that need additional bolstering.
And that brings us to Georgia’s Darnell Washington, a 6-7, 264-pounder who’s a physical specimen at tight end.
NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger, the former offensive lineman, already is encouraging the Dolphins to move up in the second round to snag him.
“They need a tight end,” Baldinger said. “This is a deep draft in tight ends.[With] Darnell Washington, you’re basically having an offensive tackle at tight end. We know Mike McDaniel wants to run the ball in a variety of ways. He helps you run the ball. He gives you a presence in the middle of the field. He can run. If he was somehow there at 51 or if he was dropping somehow, go get him. Go figure out a way to go get Darnell Wasington in that offense.”
Besides the powerful blocking skills, Washington also has shown ability as a receiver, catching 28 passes for 454 yards (16.2 average) and two touchdowns last season.
ESPN’s Todd McShay has Washington going 40th to New Orleans, noting he “has a massive catch radius and ran a 4.64 in the 40 at the combine. He’s extremely strong and has long arms and huge hands.”
ESPN’s Jordan Reid has Washington going 45th overall, to Green Bay and calls him a ”powerful blocker at the point of attack. Washington has untapped potential as a pass-catcher.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein assessed him this way: “In-line tight end with rare size and power at the point of attack to help soften defensive edges up front. Despite sloppy overall technique, Washington can be effective at moving defenders when he’s centered on his block.
“He must improve his footwork and hand usage, as NFL defenders will slip away from his clutches more easily if he’s unsound. He plods into his routes but catches with above-average focus and can be a handful to bring down. Washington could become a dominant run blocker with better technique, which makes me wonder if a team might give him a look at offensive tackle at some point in his career.”
The 33rd Team’s Greg Cosell has some questions. “Washington will be one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2023 draft class, given that his pedestrian 2022 tape and his overall measurables and outstanding combine performance do not match,” said Cosell, who has done extensive evaluation over the years.
“Washington has rare size and overall length for the TE position, in addition to uncommon straight-line speed as evidenced by his 40-yard dash time, but his tape showed more of a heavy, at times awkward, mover, who played at one speed without the needed ability to separate and stretch the seam as a vertical dimension.
“Washington showed flashes of playing to his straight-line speed, and that, along with his rare measurables for the position (his short shuttle time was among the best in the last decade for TE), will get coaches excited. One thing that Washington can do effectively with his rare combination of size and strength is block in the run game, and he showed that ability from different alignments.
“Overall, Washington has rare athletic measurables for his size, and that will likely get him drafted in the top 40, despite limited receiving production in his three years at Georgia. My sense is he will be seen as an ascending talent with his high-level traits with his best football still to come.”
If the Dolphins don’t end up with Washington, keep an eye on South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft and Iowa’s Sam LaPorta; Miami is expected to spend time with both. Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave also could be in play.
Zierlein said Kraft is a “combination tight end with the projectable skill set to handle pass-catching and run-blocking duties at the next level. Kraft has Day 2 talent and should see the field early with a chance to become a TE1.”
Zierlein said LaPorta “takes on run-blocking chores with inconsistent positioning but has the potential to improve with more work in that phase of the game. His catch production is splashy, but he appears to have average-starter potential at the next level.”
He said Musgrave “needs a little more bulk for combat in the trenches, but he offers what evaluators are looking for in technique... and demeanor. Musgrave has starter potential and should gain a coveted slot on draft boards from teams looking to add versatility to their 12 personnel (two tight ends) packages.”
The draft’s top two tight ends - Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Utah’s Dalton Kincaid - are expected to be gone by 51.
Penn State tight end Brenton Strange, projected by many as a fourth round pick, cannot be ruled out at 51.
ESPN’s Todd McShay has him rising to 54th in the draft (to the Chargers) and said “I dug into Strange’s tape recently, and he’s one of the most underrated players in this class, despite mediocre production and combine results. He accelerates really well and can stretch the seam, and he is competitive as an in-line blocker.”
The Dolphins have confidence in starter Durham Smythe, who this week was given an extension through 2025. But they need at the position. The only other two tight ends under contracts are Eric Saubert (who has been on six teams in six years) and developmental prospect Tanner Conner.
One other tight end note: Drew Rosenhaus told The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday that the Dolphins and Packers both were “in negotiations” to acquire then-Raiders tight end Darren Waller last offseason. The Raiders decided to keep him last season but traded him to the Giants earlier this offseason.
This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 2:09 PM.
