The Buffalo Bills had another top-30 visit prior to the 2023 NFL draft with a pass-catching playmaker.
This time, it was a tight end: Georgia’s Darnell Washington, according to KPRC 2-TV in Houston:
Georgia @GeorgiaFootball tight end Darnell Washington is visiting the #Bills
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 11, 2023
Washington visiting Buffalo is the second time he’s chatted with the Bills. He confirmed he did so at the combine as well. Each year, teams are only allocated a certain number of pre-draft visits with prospects and Buffalo allocating one with Washington does show some level of interest in him.
Washington is a rare tight end. At 6-foot-7, he would be a huge mismatch problem for NFL defenses.
Because of his size, Washington thrived as a run blocker in college. Pro Football Focus graded him an overall mark of 85.7 in 2022.
His blocking is what mostly got him there, as Washington never really put up big stats as a playmaker at Georgia. Washington’s best season was last year, where he had 28 catches, 454 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games played. Not exactly eye-popping numbers.
But if Washington can add to that part of his game in the pros, he would be a force for any offense.
In terms of the Bills, they do have Dawson Knox already locked up to an extension. However, Buffalo did add OJ Howard last year to try and create a 1-2 punch from their tight end position.
That ended up not working out, but there was a desire to do so. The Bills could end up having something similar in mind.
Washington is mostly projected as a second-round pick at the draft, however, some mocks do have him sneaking into the late first round. The Bills’ first two picks are at No. 27 and 59 in the first two, respectively.
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