2020 5* TE Darnell Washington

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He's visiting Cosmo, Wynn, SLS and MGM trying to decide where the boys are going to celebrate winning the ship after next season.

Kind or a waste if you ask me because its not even debate. Wet Republic is untouchable. Hands down the best pool party in Vegas.
Depends. I'm a fan of wet but they all have their own perks. Cant go wrong with sapphires pool party either
 
I guess I'll be the contrarian here but I don't see this kid staying too long at TE in college. I think he'd be an ideal DE or even grow into a DT. He reminds me of Calais Campbell in HS - similar size/skill set/positions.

Rivals usually overrates big TEs like this coming out of HS.

I just had to see one clip of his body control, coordination and burst to see that this dude absolutely can stay at TE and be major impact.
 
Nah.... Lol

He's the #1 ranked TE in the 2020 class & #31 ranked overall nationally, the kid is an elite offensive weapon & will play on Sundays catching TD's. It would be colossally stupid to unnecessarily add 40-50lbs on him & try to make him play a position he's never played in his life.
A great OT is an offensive weapon.
 
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I'm far from an expert but I have been following recruiting for a while, and I just don't see "best tight end prospect I've ever seen" tape there. Doesn't compare to OJ Howard or Brevin's tape...Njoku's tape blew this kid out of the water, albeit probably against worst comp.

Looks like a tall kid, nice athlete, Red Zone weapon...but not very explosive. On the blocking plays he is just a big kid going up against smaller kids...not exactly blowing them up, which to me is a marker for explosive burst. Same thing with his run after the catch...looks like a long strider who is able to put his shoulder down on smaller kids. Which might be moot because assuming he gets good weight on him, he will be a big kid here too, but still, doesn't seem like a "can't miss" guy. Actually think he sparks a little more on his defensive tape.

I'll assume I am wrong because of the rankings...anyone with a better eye for this stuff want to explain what I'm missing?
 
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That's an interesting film....

Not much catching the ball/route running but a ton of just athletic plays... one being a Punter keeper where he scampered for a first down..
 
I'm far from an expert but I have been following recruiting for a while, and I just don't see "best tight end prospect I've ever seen" tape there. Doesn't compare to OJ Howard or Brevin's tape. Looks like a tall kid, nice athlete, Red Zone weapon...but not very explosive. On the blocking plays he is just a big kid going up against smaller kids...not exactly blowing them up, which to me is a marker for explosive burst. Same thing with his run after the catch...looks like a long strider who is able to put his shoulder down on smaller kids. Which might be moot because assuming he gets good weight on him, he will be a big kid here too, but still, doesn't seem like a "can't miss" guy. Actually think he sparks a little more on his defensive tape.

I'll assume I am wrong because of the rankings...anyone with a better eye for this stuff want to explain what I'm missing?

Same here. Have watched hours of recruiting film over the years and this kid just doesn't jump out at me at TE. Great athlete? For sure, but to me, he's a much more intriguing prospect for DL. He has a chance to be a transformational player on defense much moreso than at TE. JMO.
 
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248 as of last weekend. This kid will be close to 260 by the time he enrolls in college.
Yup. Just like Tommy Sweeney from BC, OJ Howard, and Jimmy. They’ll probably keep him in that ballpark...I don’t see anything over 270 unless they decide to move him but then where on the D-line do they move him.
 
I guess I'll be the contrarian here but I don't see this kid staying too long at TE in college. I think he'd be an ideal DE or even grow into a DT. He reminds me of Calais Campbell in HS - similar size/skill set/positions.

Rivals usually overrates big TEs like this coming out of HS.

Calais would have been a great TE too.

They're not mutually exclusive. Maybe he'd be better at DE but that doesnt mean he wont be a very good TE.

Look back at the TE rankings. The #1 kid almost never busts. You take this kid if you can get him, no question
 
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Yup. Just like Tommy Sweeney from BC, OJ Howard, and Jimmy. They’ll probably keep him in that ballpark...I don’t see anything over 270 unless they decide to move him but then where on the D-line do they move him.

We'll see. I don't think he has the frame to keep him at 255-260, honestly, but we'll see. OJH had a very different frame/build than Washington does at the same age. Besides, at the same age, OJH was much lighter (30/40+ pounds). You are comparing what Sweeney's and OJH's weights are now/college end with a kid who is a JR in HS.

Calais would have been a great TE too.

They're not mutually exclusive. Maybe he'd be better at DE but that doesnt mean he wont be a very good TE.

Look back at the TE rankings. The #1 kid almost never busts. You take this kid if you can get him, no question

Might have been a very good TE but many thought he would be a transformational player on defense. 6-7/6-8 athletic kids who can play don't come along very often on defense - I'd rather have them on the DL than at TE. Don't get me wrong, the Washington kid is a take, but I think he's a take for a different position. Let's see how his senior year plays out.

As for #1 TEs, disagree. A LOT of them bust.
 
We'll see. I don't think he has the frame to keep him at 255-260, honestly, but we'll see. OJH had a very different frame/build than Washington does at the same age. Besides, at the same age, OJH was much lighter (30/40+ pounds). You are comparing what Sweeney's and OJH's weights are now/college end with a kid who is a JR in HS.



Might have been a very good TE but many thought he would be a transformational player on defense. 6-7/6-8 athletic kids who can play don't come along very often on defense - I'd rather have them on the DL than at TE. Don't get me wrong, the Washington kid is a take, but I think he's a take for a different position. Let's see how his senior year plays out.

Based off that tape, I feel the same way. higher ceiling as a pass rusher but end of the day he's a nice athlete and you take him any way you can get him.
 
We'll see. I don't think he has the frame to keep him at 255-260, honestly, but we'll see. OJH had a very different frame/build than Washington does at the same age. Besides, at the same age, OJH was much lighter (30/40+ pounds). You are comparing what Sweeney's and OJH's weights are now/college end with a kid who is a JR in HS.



Might have been a very good TE but many thought he would be a transformational player on defense. 6-7/6-8 athletic kids who can play don't come along very often on defense - I'd rather have them on the DL than at TE. Don't get me wrong, the Washington kid is a take, but I think he's a take for a different position. Let's see how his senior year plays out.

As for #1 TEs, disagree. A LOT of them bust.
I mean I could’ve used Leonard Pope but I don’t think a lot of people would remember him.
 
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I'm far from an expert but I have been following recruiting for a while, and I just don't see "best tight end prospect I've ever seen" tape there. Doesn't compare to OJ Howard or Brevin's tape...Njoku's tape blew this kid out of the water, albeit probably against worst comp.

Looks like a tall kid, nice athlete, Red Zone weapon...but not very explosive. On the blocking plays he is just a big kid going up against smaller kids...not exactly blowing them up, which to me is a marker for explosive burst. Same thing with his run after the catch...looks like a long strider who is able to put his shoulder down on smaller kids. Which might be moot because assuming he gets good weight on him, he will be a big kid here too, but still, doesn't seem like a "can't miss" guy. Actually think he sparks a little more on his defensive tape.

I'll assume I am wrong because of the rankings...anyone with a better eye for this stuff want to explain what I'm missing?
I think what evaluators see is decent speed, good hands, willingness to block and of course real potential to play defense. His athleticism is what they see I'd say. Jmo.
 
Calais would have been a great TE too.

They're not mutually exclusive. Maybe he'd be better at DE but that doesnt mean he wont be a very good TE.

Look back at the TE rankings. The #1 kid almost never busts. You take this kid if you can get him, no question

Went back till 2008 and using 247 composite rankings the only #1 TE I recognized was OJ Howard, so they do bust quite a lot.
 
I'm far from an expert but I have been following recruiting for a while, and I just don't see "best tight end prospect I've ever seen" tape there. Doesn't compare to OJ Howard or Brevin's tape...Njoku's tape blew this kid out of the water, albeit probably against worst comp.

Looks like a tall kid, nice athlete, Red Zone weapon...but not very explosive. On the blocking plays he is just a big kid going up against smaller kids...not exactly blowing them up, which to me is a marker for explosive burst. Same thing with his run after the catch...looks like a long strider who is able to put his shoulder down on smaller kids. Which might be moot because assuming he gets good weight on him, he will be a big kid here too, but still, doesn't seem like a "can't miss" guy. Actually think he sparks a little more on his defensive tape.

I'll assume I am wrong because of the rankings...anyone with a better eye for this stuff want to explain what I'm missing?

I saw OJ Howard at a camp the summer before his senior year. He's the best hs TE I've ever seen. Definitely the most athletic. I can still remember talking to other coaches about him and everybody saying he'd go in the first round one day. If he had gone to Bama during the Tua era instead of playing in that ground and pound ****, who knows how ridiculous his numbers would've been. Nothing against Washington, but there won't be many tapes that compare to Howard's.
 
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