Malik Washington, after his 110-catch, 1,426-yard grad-senior season at Virginia, was projected as a late-third- or early-fourth-round pick.
Washington ended up going to Miami in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, with something to prove.
“lmk where the next film session at fam,” was Washington’s response to the pick on Twitter.
Ready to get to work at the next level, where Washington projects as a slot receiver, which is where he got the bulk of his snaps (406 of the 462 snaps he was in on in 2023) in his year at Virginia.
The knock on Washington is his height (5’9”), but he has a 42.5-inch vertical and ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine.
That speed and athleticism in the slot will create mismatches over the middle with linebackers and safeties in coverage in three-receiver sets with Tyreek Hill (119 catches, 1,791 yards in 2023) and Jaylen Waddle (104 catches, 1,014 yards in 2023).
“I understand he has diminutive size, but this guy is tough, will break tackles, will beat you in the hole,” ESPN analyst Field Yates said of Washington, who led all D1 receivers with 35 broken tackles last year.
“Malik Washington will take the top off the defense,” ESPN’s Matt Miller said. “A track team they’re building in Miami. I never want to compare anyone to Tyreek Hill, but you can use him in a lot of the same ways.”
“Washington possesses premium catch focus, buttery smooth hands and mature ball skills, but he needs to prove he can elude press and run an NFL route tree with better attention to detail,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlin said.
“Washington maximizes his skill set to make up for his average size and he should garner attention as a gadget guy with the potential to develop into a WR4 or eventual starter in the slot,” Zierlin said.
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Chris Graham
