Player Profile: Darrell Daniels

Darrell Daniels, Tight End, University of Washington

Measurables:

            Height: 6’4”

            Weight: 245 lbs.

UW Career Stats (espn.com):

            47 receptions (17 in 2016)

            728 receiving yards (307 in 2016)

            5 touchdowns (3 in 2016)

Darrell Daniels was a 4-start recruit coming out of Freedom High School in Pittsburg, California. Daniels’ versatility earned him First Team All-East Bay at wide receiver, racking up 54 passes for 947 yards and a whopping 20 touchdowns. Not only did he put up impressive numbers offensively, he even went as far as to earn Second-Team All-East Bay as a defensive back (38 tackles, two interceptions). Holding offers from USC and UCLA on the West Coast along with several other Division-I colleges throughout the country, Daniels chose to take his talents to the University of Washington, where he would be a big-play contributor on what would later become one of the nation’s top offenses. (High school stats courtesy of gohuskies.com)

Daniels’ small college sample size isn’t ideal (partly because of his seldom use in the passing game), but when looking at what he can do he has plenty of raw ability. For starters, his career average of 15.5 YPR (yards per reception) shows that he has big play ability. In the 2016 season alone, four of his 17 receptions traveled for 20+ yards, including a season high 50-yard catch vs Washington State (his career long was a 68-yard touchdown vs Oregon State back in 2014). Daniels biggest strength to note is his run blocking ability, as he helped carved the way for running back Myles Gaskin to gain 1,373 rushing yards (5.8 YPC) and 10 rushing touchdowns.

Physically, Daniels has your ideal build at 6’4” 245 lbs. His speed is another underrated aspect of his game. Daniels and his agent, Michael Chelala, believe he could run anywhere from the 4.44 seconds range to as low as 4.37 seconds on the 40-yard dash at this year’s combine. Couple this with his soft-hands and physicality as a run blocker and you have yourself a sleeper in a deep tight end class. His freak athletic ability should be on display during combine drills and will turn heads with his otherworldly 40-yard dash time. While Daniels’ passion for the game and loyalty to his teammates is something that can’t be measured at the combine, one cannot simply overlook the character aspects that he displays.

While the national media might not be high on Daniels right now, his physical abilities alone would warrant a Day Two, early Day Three selection. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller and cbssports.com currently rank Daniels as their 15^th and 16^th ranked tight end respectively. Expect him to shoot up draft boards with a dynamic combine and excellent interviews.