Tahj Washington NFL Draft Profile Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5′-9″
Weight: 177 pounds
School: USC
2024 NFL Draft: Tahj Washington Scouting Report
Tahj Washington ranked 26th in the FBS in yards after catch and served as Caleb Williams’ vertical screen weapon in 2023. He played for Memphis in 2019 and 2020 where he was named a Freshman All-American. He then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) in 2021 and had a successful season. In 2022, he had a career performance and finished the season with 50 receptions for 785 yards with six touchdowns. Washington returned as a starter for USC in the 2023 season and was selected to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List.
Washington possesses excellent hands and smoothly transitions to making a play after catching. Despite his size, he plays physical, makes catches in traffic, and challenges bigger defenders at the catch point. Tahj has an explosive burst and quickly reaches top speed. His arm length allows him to play bigger than his size. However, if he wishes to catch over the middle for a 17-game slate, he must add weight at the next level.
Tahj has natural, reliable hands and excellent focus when making catches. He tracks well in all areas of the field. Although many of his yards working as a deep threat were made possible by Caleb Williams, it’s hard to criticize a receiver for doing what he should. Tahj was the beneficiary of broken plays that inflated his end-of-year stats.
Strengths
- Tahj Washington transitions quickly into a runner. He shows good vision through traffic as a carrier. Washington plays physical for his stature. He uses his size to start and stop on a dime;
- Washington has reliable hands. He catches through contact. He maximizes his length;
- He has good lateral agility. He’s shifty. Washington often makes the first defender miss. He’s a yards after catch threat;
- Washington is a good vertical player. He throttles up and down quickly. He tracks the ball very well at all levels of the field;
- His strength would be with motion on both vertical/underneath boundary shots;
- Vs. 2024 Draft Wide Receivers (33): Pro Football Focus Receiving Grade 85 (5th), Yards Per Route Run 3.06 (7th), Yards After The Catch Per Reception 8.6 (T-1st).
Weaknesses
- Tahj Washington has a small frame and poor playing strength, which consistently restricts him to the boundary. He is not dynamic enough to be featured with motion;
- Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the elite speed that scouts hope for with his profile, so he needs to stay out of center field. In college, he did a lot of his work there;
- Washington’s spatial awareness is poor, and he is limited on the boundary by his length;
- He is not consistent at the catch point and will turn instead of making the back shoulder catch, thus exposing the catch point. His frame works against him at the catch point;
- Washington doesn’t sell his routes consistently or play with nuance in his routes. However, he wins with quickness;
- Vs. 2024 Draft Wide Receivers (33): Average Depth Of Target 10.7 (14th), Target Dominator Percentage 17.3% (16th).
NFL Comparison: Demario “Pop” Douglas, Xavier Gipson
Team Fits With Need At Position: Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers
Projection: Round 5
Bottom Line on Tahj Washington
In reality, he is a slot-only receiver who isn’t big enough to work the middle of the field in the NFL. All things considered, he will likely be relegated to catching screen passes on the boundary. Consequently his role will probably be as a punt returner in the NFL.
However, the NFL is moving towards playmakers in space, and Tahj Washington fits that profile. Washington has already proved he belongs in the NFL through his practices at the East-West Shrine Bowl. He consistently separated on his routes, made some big plays, and heads into the NFL Scouting Combine with momentum. If he lands in a friendly environment, he could work his way into the lineup through special teams.
Statistics were provided by Pro Football Focus, and advanced statistics were calculated myself using my Rookie Bible.
Main Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
