Georgia's Darnell Washington Declares for 2023 NFL Draft After Winning National Title

Darnell Washington won two college football national championships during his time at Georgia.

Now he is pursuing his dream of an NFL career.

The tight end announced Thursday he is declaring for the 2023 draft:

Washington arrived at Georgia as a 5-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He was primarily a secondary contributor during his first two seasons but turned the corner in 2022 as part of a one-two tight end punch alongside Brock Bowers.

He finished the year with 28 catches for 454 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came in an SEC Championship Game victory over LSU.

While his numbers don't jump off the page, he was part of a loaded offense that often spread the ball around and relied on Bowers as a primary playmaker. It isn't difficult to envision the 6'7" matchup nightmare putting up better statistics in the NFL.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department listed Washington as the 32nd-best overall player and second-best tight end on its latest big board.

Only Notre Dame's Michael Mayer was listed ahead of the Georgia star at the position, and they both might end up being top-20 picks come draft day. In fact, Mayer goes No. 14 overall to the New England Patriots and Washington goes No. 15 to the Green Bay Packers in B/R's latest mock draft.

Between his blocking ability in the run game and his agility downfield given his size as a pass-catcher, Washington could be an impact rookie.