Former Pittsburgh Steelers LB Arthur Moats Makes A Pitch For 1 Surprising Draft Pick

One position that is off the radar of most Pittsburgh Steelers fans is tight end. The Steelers have the electric Pat Freiermuth entering his third season in the black and gold. In addition, they have been using Zach Gentry as their TE2 with Connor Heyward as a sort of hybrid. 

The Freiermuth/Gentry pairing has worked reasonably well as Freiermuth catches well and Gentry blocks well. But former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats throws a spanner in the works on his latest podcast, The Arthur Moats Experience, by suggesting the Steelers possibly draft a TE. 

Really Moats, Another Tight End for The Steelers? 

The TE that Moats is suggesting is Darnell Washington out of the University of Georgia. Washington, a two-time CFB National Championship winner, performed better than expected at the NFL Combine. He ran 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash and made a one-handed grab that took the internet by storm. 

Washington has a large, rangy frame and measured the longest wingspan and second largest hand size ever for a tight end at the Combine. He is big, strong and fast. All these traits, in addition to his performance, have sent his draft stock soaring.

Moats thinks the Steelers should seriously consider taking him with the first of their second-round picks if he is still available. 

“I didn’t know he was gonna test well enough to move up to 32. I thought we was gonna get him at 49 because he doesn’t look like he runs fast. But he’s fast enough and that was the thing that made me so intrigued.”

He describes the attributes he sees in Washington that Moats feels makes him a potential winner for the Steelers:

“This dude can run, he’s gonna come back, catch you to death, he’s gonna block you like a dang gone offensive lineman. You watch his tape; he was murdering folks when they played. I was watching the Oregon game; he was murdering folks in just the run game. I’m talking like big boy pancake, extra syrup. It was fire.”

His talents don’t end at his ability to run fast or even block:

“Then you watch him receiving, he’s jumping over folks, he’s running by people, he’s gonna one hand you right and one hand you left. He looks like a basketball player. He doesn’t need to be explosive when you got that height and that catch radius, because he can get down here. It’s like the [Rob Gronkowski] vibe.”

Moats compares Washington’s toughness to the toughness of the future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski:

“There’re times where Darnell’s getting hit and the person that’s hitting him is falling back.”

He acknowledges that overall Michael Mayer, out of Notre Dame, is the number one TE in the draft because he is a better overall athlete than Washington. He can block well enough, but runs routes exceptionally well. Based on his size, Moats says, you can’t find a better player at that size and with that blocking ability. He showed off his strength during the sled drills:

“Michael Mayer did a dang gone good job (hitting the sled), but because of how well Darnell hit it, it made Michael look like he sucks hitting. I was like, ‘Yo, Michael had a good rep, that’s a normal rep, Michael was actually straight. Just Darnell was such a freak with it, so it made Michael look weak.'” 

Moats said that he feels some team is going to look at Washington and know that he is a game-changer, but is not going to be your slot guy, but he does pair nicely with Freiermuth. 

“Darnell is forever in the core. If you get Washington, I feel like you could work with both long-term. Washington is a beefed-up version of Zach Gentry. Gentry we hope can develop into the catching, but I don’t know if he will ever get to where Darnell is in terms of that natural of a hands catcher.”

What do you think? If Washington was available at number 32, should the Steelers take him? Would you take him with the number one pick? Or with the third? What do you think of our current TE duo? How much of a benefit is it to have someone who’s like an extra OL man? Click to comment below. 

#SteelerNation