The USC pro day spotlight fell on Caleb Williams, but Tahj Washington owned a small piece of attention on one specific play. The sequence of events impressed NFL scouts and executives who were watching USC football players five weeks before the 2024 NFL draft. Tahj Washington very possibly made himself some money and boosted his overall draft stock.
Washington does not have elite size or physicality, and that’s why he won’t be picked in — one would think — the first two rounds of the draft. However, USC receivers have been underestimated in the NFL draft before. Amon-Ra St. Brown fell to pick No. 112 as a Day 3 selection in the fourth round. The Detroit Lions scooped him up and got one of the big steals in recent NFL draft history. It wasn’t a Brock Purdy-level steal, but it was still a high-impact move for the Lions, who reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 32 years thanks in part to St. Brown’s clutch third-down pass-catching.
Tahj Washington would love to author a story similar to St. Brown’s in the NFL, but if he improves his draft position to the extent that he could get picked late on Day 2 — in the third round — he wouldn’t be as underestimated as St. Brown was a few years ago.
Washington’s big play on USC pro day was a toe-tap catch near the sideline. The really cool part of all this is that Washington seemed to convey the idea that yes, Caleb Williams threw the ball to make the play more difficult and give Washington a chance to impress the NFL observers on hand for this USC football showcase:
Pretty cool — asked Tahj Washington about this play and he seemed to agree this ball at USC’s Pro Day was intentionally overthrown by Caleb Williams to give Washington the chance to show off.
Washington: “He like, ‘Show ‘em real quick. Ah, for sure. He does it all the time.” https://t.co/zkgDENgr1g
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) March 20, 2024
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