NFL Draft primer: Despite being set at tight end, Steelers could be swayed by deep class

It took until the final day of pre-draft visits for the Pittsburgh Steelers to bring a tight end prospect – Georgia’s Darnell Washington — to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

The delay wasn’t surprising considering the Steelers return all three tight ends from the 2021 season and have no player at the position with more than four years of NFL experience.

On the other hand, the tight end position in the 2022 draft class is so promising that the Steelers might be tempted to take one despite the presence of Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry and 2021 sixth-round pick Connor Heyward.

“I think the tight end group is the best I’ve seen in the last 10 years,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “It’s outstanding.”

Jeremiah isn’t the only draft analyst to have that sentiment.

“It’s not just the guys at the top,” ESPN’s Todd McShay said. “It’s the depth you have at tight end. It’s an impressive group.”

Tight end likely won’t be in play when the Steelers select with the No. 17 overall pick. But it could be a position addressed in the second round when the Steelers hold the Nos. 32 and 49 picks. Or the third when the Steelers select No. 80 overall.

It is in the second-round range where Washington is expected to fall. Washington left Georgia after his junior season and with measurements of 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds, he is one of the most imposing prospects in his class.

McShay referenced Adonis when describing Washington’s attributes.

“He can run block in-line, he can block on the move,” McShay said. “He’s never going to be a great receiver, but he can be productive. He has good traits to contribute.”

At Georgia, Washington was the second tight end option behind sophomore Brock Bowers, the 2022 Mackey Award recipient. Washington caught just 45 passes in three years on campus, ending his college career with 28 catches for 454 yards and two touchdowns as Georgia repeated as national champions.

“He’s a freakish talent,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr said. “With his arm length (34 3/8 inches) and the way he runs, that’s a matchup nightmare. … You don’t find that many tight ends with his size, athleticism and speed.”

Added McShay: “He’s like playing with a sixth offensive lineman in the run game, and he’s still developing and learning in the pass game. I think there is more there.”

Other tight ends rated higher than Washington by scouting services are Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer. They are potential first-round picks.

In his evaluation of tight ends, Jeremiah rated 11 with grades worthy of being selected before the end of the third round. Kiper had four going among his top 42 picks in his most recent mock draft. McShay has six tight ends among his top 62 prospects.

“It’s a ridiculous number,” Jeremiah said of the depth. “It’s just a really, really good group.”

McShay’s sleeper second-day tight end is Penn State’s Brenton Strange, who declared for the draft after his redshirt junior season. Following in the footsteps of Freiermuth, the 6-4, 253-pound Strange is a two-year starter who had modest stats of 52 receptions for 587 yards and eight touchdowns combined in the 2021-22 seasons.

“He had average measurables, average production,” McShay said. “I didn’t expect much when I popped in the tape. There was no hype of him. … Then, I see this guy accelerate and creating after the catch, I see him getting down the seam and getting open, I see him separating in and out of breaks, I see him as an in-line blocker. Even though he has a narrow frame, this guy is tough as nails.”