FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons selected wide receiver Casey Washington from Washington with the No. 187 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Learn more about the Falcons' sixth-round pick:
Height: 6-0
Weight: 201
School: Illinois
2023 stats: 12 appearances, 11 starts | 49 receptions for 670 yards, four touchdowns
Honors: Played in East-West Shrine Bowl
Tori McElhaney's analysis: Casey Washington is someone who was underrecruited coming out of high school as a wide receiver in a wing-T offense. He landed with Illinois and never looked back, maturing his game and improving his catch radius each year.
Washington set career-best numbers in almost every statistical category in 2023 as a first-time starter. He's an ascending player whose best tape came in the final four games of Illinois' 2023 season. One could assume his best days are still ahead, especially if he can morph himself into a key special teams contributor.
Though he's a big-bodied receiver at 201 pounds, Falcons scouts at his pro day did take note he's faster than meets the eye, running a 4.46 40-yard dash.
He'll have to continue to evolve in his ability to separate himself from defenders, but he has the ability to be a plug-and-play type of receiver, wherever and whenever the Falcons find him useful.
