5 prospects Carolina Panthers should avoid in the 2023 NFL Draft
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers should avoid Darnell Washington
Another player with an incredible athletic skill set is former Georgia tight end Darnell Washington. The two-time national champion comes in at a crazy 6-foot-7, 264 pounds, runs a 4.64-second 40-yard dash time, and has all the traits to be totally dominant in the NFL.
The former five-star high school recruit didn’t have the impact some may have expected in Athens for the Bulldogs. His three years for Georgia yielded just 45 receptions for 774 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
However, it’s important to note Washington has been behind Brock Bowers for the last two seasons, who is a generational prospect and will likely be a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Despite limited production, Washington’s incredible traits mean he likely will not make it far into the second round, if at all. This means if the Carolina Panthers were to add the hulking tight end, they’d need to do so at pick No. 39.
Carolina is currently short at the wide receiver spot after trading DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears. Therefore, the Panthers may be less inclined to draft a project like Washington so early.
While the Panthers have their new No. 1 tight end in Hayden Hurst, Washington will come into the league as mainly a blocking prospect in his early career. With both Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas excelling in this discipline, general manager Scott Fitterer may be hesitant to add another to the room.