Steelers 2018 2nd round draft choice, James Washington said he cut down about 15 pounds from his rookie season.
Steelers wide receiver, James Washington, is working on a new look for the 2019 season – one that reportedly has him about 15 pounds lighter than his playing weight during his rookie season last year.
According to Washington himself, the former Oklahoma State product claimed to have played around 225 pounds in his rookie campaign with the Steelers. He said he is down to 209 now, thanks to “portion control, hard training and working on the farm back home:”
James Washington says he’s dropped about 15 pounds from his rookie year. Played at 225 last year, down to 209 thanks to portion control, hard training and working on the farm back home from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Called 2019 a year of ‘urgency.’ pic.twitter.com/57YfzvuvVK
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 23, 2019
It didn’t take long for James Washington to get noticed last preseason, as he exploded for 7 catches, 178 yards, and 2 touchdowns on 22.6 yards per catch. In fact, Pro Football Focus had a very good grade on Washington during the preseason:
On offense, James Washington led the way for the #Steelers with his big game! pic.twitter.com/gnU5Wf2mE0
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) August 17, 2018
Washington, however, hit a severe learning during the regular season and caught just 16 of 38 targets last year. He received a below average grade from PFF last season of just 49.4 – good for the 117th wide receiver in the league.
With a new physique and a season of NFL conditioning under his belt, Washington appears to be ready to improve in 2019.
In college, Washington was one of the most productive receivers in the nation and caught the attention of many with a 97th percentile breakout age and 94th percentile college yards per catch, according to Player Profiler.
James Washington may never turn out to be the stud the Steelers had in mind when they drafted him in the second round, but cutting the excess weight and getting in football shape is certainly a step in the right direction.