3 players the Denver Broncos may regret passing on in 2023 NFL Draft
Players the Denver Broncos passed on in the 2023 NFL Draft
2. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia (Steelers)
Speaking of the tight end position again, the Denver Broncos decided to pass on Darnell Washington, along with every other NFL team. Apparently, some health concerns popped up for Washington throughout the pre-draft process that caused a shocking fall into late Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Washington fell all the way to the bottom of the third round where the Pittsburgh Steelers scooped him up and got themselves one of the biggest steals of the draft after already selecting Washington’s teammate (OT Broderick Jones) earlier in the draft as well as Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The Broncos moved up into the third round of the draft and selected former Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback Riley Moss, a player who is going to come in and help defensively and on special teams right away. The Moss pick was not a bad one, but with three picks between 63-83, it was rather shocking to me that the Broncos didn’t take a chance on someone like Darnell Washington.
Despite pre-draft health concerns, Washington did this at the 2023 NFL scouting combine:
Darnell Washington is a TE prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.88 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 14 out of 1104 TE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/ky8XbyCwiD pic.twitter.com/LhkqX9xTP8
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 16, 2023
He has an outrageous combination of size, speed, and explosiveness. Not only that, but Darnell Washington is considered one of the best blocking tight ends in the class. Having that kind of big body at the position to pair with Greg Dulcich could have been ideal for the Broncos, but they were clearly scared off by his medical concerns.
At least, that’s what Broncos fans will tell themselves to cope with passing on him.