In today’s post-spring evaluation, we’ll shift over to the tight ends.
This is one of the more intriguing positions on the team this year, if for no other reason than Darnell Washington presents the sort of physical mismatch at the spot that the Bulldogs haven’t had in some time.
Combined with the experience and improvement being shown by John FitzPatrick, along with the potential flashed by freshman Bock Bowers, the position offers offensive coordinator Todd Monken some intriguing possibilities.
What we knew
We already knew plenty about Washington’s physical attributes. At 6-foot-7, with the ability to get up and down the field, the Las Vegas native is a defensive coordinator’s nightmare.
Although he caught seven passes for 166 yards as a freshman, Washington is capable of so much more than that. He showed that in the G-Day game by grabbing four passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Along with FitzPatrick, Washington gives the Bulldogs what could be one of the better sets of tight ends in the SEC.
Speaking of FitzPatrick, a lot of people may forget that he also stands 6-7 and is becoming a more accomplished receiver. Opposing defenses are not going to be able to take him for granted.
Of course, fans want to see the group become more involved in the passing game. Sure, we’ve been saying the same for the past couple of years; however, this time it feels different.
Washington is just too big a weapon (literally and figuratively) not to play a bigger role catching the football. Based on what we saw in G-Day, it appears Monken agrees.
What we learned
To hear Smart admit that Washington actually weighs 280 pounds opened some eyes. But for the purpose of this segment, let’s turn our focus to Bowers and what he brings to the tight end room.
Bowers was one of the players we started hearing buzz about soon after spring practice began, and he didn't disappoint when we saw him perform in the G-Day game.
Bowers did it all at Napa High in California, from playing tight end, running back and wide receiver, to returning kicks.
He’s an athlete, and during G-Day he put that athleticism on display by catching three passes for 35 yards, including a long of 25.
Assuming he continues to pick up the offense, as he apparently is doing, look for Bowers to become a viable vertical threat for Daniels and the offense come fall.
What we're waiting on
The biggest question Bulldog fans will be waiting on is to see exactly what Monken has in mind from the standpoint of getting the tight ends more involved in the actual passing game.
Obviously, much will be dictated by what opposing teams show and how they plan on defending. Also, the development of the offensive line will dictate how often the tight ends are needed to help block. Either way, position coach Todd Hartley has recruited and developed his charges to contribute in line or on routes.
As impossible as it is to predict what kind of numbers we’ll see in terms of catches and yards, it certainly seems a safe bet to say we’ll see the tight ends play a larger role catching the football than we’ve seen in recent years.
We haven’t forgotten about Ryland Goede and Brett Seither.
The pair gives the Bulldogs additional depth for what could be a real strength for the team this fall.
They said it
Kirby Smart on Darnell Washington and his knowledge of the offense: “Well, it’s interesting. He wasn’t able to practice all spring, so he missed some time, and just getting him back gave us another weapon, at least for this game. But he missed some time there, and I know his conditioning level is going to be important to him, to make sure he’s really in shape. He’s a great target, he’s a big target, he’s an athletic guy. He’s a weapon. We’ve got to find ways to be able to utilize him, both in the passing game and in the run game. Because he’s a weapon in both.”
JT Daniels on Darnell Washington: “You definitely do see a development in him. Last year, when you're coming from high school to a real, Coach Monken NFL system in college, there's a shock that hits you right away, just because there's so much to it. You see it this year—he gets the signal, and he knows what he's doing right away. He's not thinking about it like he was last year. Everyone that is new has a lot of mental errors. It's just new. In terms of his development physically, he's gotten a lot smoother in terms of getting in and out of breaks. He's always had good instincts, but it's gotten even better to me in terms of understanding where the ball is going to be thrown.”
