Name: DeShawn Washington
DeShawn Washington recruit scouting report: Playmaking 2014 defensive tackle
The Nederland product looks like the best defensive tackle in the state of Texas for the 2014 class.
High school and hometown: Nederland (Texas)
Position: Defensive tackle
Height and weight: 6’3, 280
Ratings: Washington is rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, but has not yet received an evaluation from Rivals, Scout, or ESPN.
Offers: Washington has offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. He committed to Texas A&M on March 2, 2013 at their second Junior Day.
Twitter: You can find Washington on Twitter @OMG_Waterfront.
Highlights: Washington’s highlights are available on Hudl.
Scouting report:
While there aren’t many high-quality defensive tackles in the state of Texas in 2014, Washington stands out above the rest with his ability on film and his high level of production as a junior, which included 16 sacks.
At just under 6-3 and 280 pounds, Washington played all along the line of scrimmage for Nederland as a junior, including as a stand-up defensive end. In college, he projects as a three-technique, where he can use his quickness off the ball and play half a man to shoot gaps and is especially effective against zone blocking schemes if the initial steps of the offensive linemen aren’t correct.
While Washington can use his hands to keep offensive lineman from getting into his body, he also shows the tenacity and the motor to keep fighting through blocks to make stops behind the line of scrimmage -- if he’s blocked initially, he works hard to avoid staying blocked.
Even on plays where the opposing offense tries to get the ball out into the flat, Washington has the quickness to get outside and force opponents to cut back in towards the pursuit of his teammates or make the tackle himself, impressive feats for someone of his size.
Combining the quickness, strength, and motor of a player like Washington helps to make for a lethal mix for opposing offenses in high school. As a result, Washington shouldn’t remain a four-star prospect by 247Sports past the spring evaluation period and when the other services do finally rate him, that should be the consensus.
After all, what else could Washington do to prove himself that he hasn’t already done on film?
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