Welcome to Baltimore: Darren Waller

[Maryland]

I'm not sure how a thread congratulating Darren Waller turned into a "cut Matt Elam" conversation, but I find it kind of funny nonetheless. 

[Gordo52]

I'm not sure how a thread congratulating Darren Waller turned into a "cut Matt Elam" conversation, but I find it kind of funny nonetheless.

Oh snap. Didn't realize what thread I was in. Sorry for contributing to the discussion of Elam!

I'm hoping things are different with developing these type of guys with our new coaching staff. It hasn't worked well for us in the past but it's a new day with completely different encouraging circumstances

[MachineGunFunk]

GT diehard and season ticket holder here ............gotta say ya'll got a serious high-potential pick here.  I've read through this entire thread, and many of Waller's pros/cons have already been established (26/26 for balls thrown vs caught, size/speed combo, blocking ability, etc), but Waller's best days are still potentially ahead of him.

 

Waller contributed next to nothing until 2013, when he made some catches that made you see that he could potentially dominate opposing CBs.  Unfortunately, one of his biggest weaknesses is his inconsistency.  For all of his physical gifts and abilities, he would totally disappear from games for whatever reason.  You have to keep in mind, GT WRs are never double covered/bracketed due to the nature of the flex option, so that gives you pause at times.  And before you say it's because GT WRs rarely see throws (which is true), DeAndre Smelter saw far more action than Waller did before Smelter got hurt.  But when Waller did get the opportunity as the primary target, which was recognized in an earlier post in the thread, he was topping 100/1 in the FSU and MSU games.

 

I will say that Waller will bring some fire to his game.  He was suspended the two weeks of 2014 due to violation of team rules, but it was not a serious offense (read: not arrested).  But if you look at his blocking, and especially at his jump ball TD catches over future NFL CB Maurice Canady (4:13 in this link) and current Saints draftee Damien Swann (0:22 in this link), you see the attitude in fighting for the ball and letting you know after it.  Not to the point it's going to draw a flag, but you see he wants to get after it.

 

Bottom line.............Waller has the potential to be a serious receiving threat the league.  If given the right coaching on the finer points of receiver route running and hot read/blitz recognition diagnosis, as well as provided the right role in the offense in attacking downfield, ya'll could have a truly dangerous and viable weapon within the next couple years.  He possesses the right combination of size, straight speed (quickness is an issue for his size obviously), hands, and passion for the game.  Give him the targets, and he'll produce.  This is a great value pick that hopefully pans out.

[mattw69]

I've been saying this on here since way before the draft....Waller will be a TE. He's as tall as Gronk and Graham, but faster than both. Even with putting on 15lb, he will be lightning fast for a TE.

Edited May 5, 2015 by mattw69

[jazz1988]

I've been saying this on here since way before the draft....Waller will be a TE. He's as tall as Gronk and Graham, but faster than both. Even with putting on 15lb, he will be lightning fast for a TE.

 

I don't think The Ravens view him as a tight end. His timed speed and etc at The NFL Combine is very similar to Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin whom both are receivers where some thought would be better as tight ends than receivers.

[cushrinada1986]

What makes you think his ceiling is low? That he's 6'6" and WR for the Ravens?

Let me restate, I think he's range of success should be ranged anywhere from Brandon Marshall to Tommy Street as it pertains to big WRs. I think he has a chance to be a solid #2 WR with a year to perfect his route running and chemistry with Flacco. and besides, they have to see what he can do with a 4.4 40 time....

[Crabcakes&Football]

The question is: do we have the patience to develop him? If he can somehow play a role on special teams that bodes well for his future. Send him to the ps and he's probably gone.

[Guest]

The question is: do we have the patience to develop him? If he can somehow play a role on special teams that bodes well for his future. Send him to the ps and he's probably gone.

 

He'll be developed like Torrey Smith and come mid season will effectively be starting.

 

He is NOT a tight end, but provides flexibility to line him up there against linebackers.  This is gonna get really good.

[jazz1988]

He'll be developed like Torrey Smith and come mid season will effectively be starting.

 

He is NOT a tight end, but provides flexibility to line him up there against linebackers.  This is gonna get really good.

 

That's a bold prediction for a receiver that's coming from a run option offensive scheme. Darren Walker is pretty raw as receiver even more raw than Torrey when we drafted him in the second round and atleast Torrey was playing in  more  of a NFL style offense when came out of college. One of the mean reasons why people think Waller may be better suited at tight end because he isn't agile, quick, and is stiff .

[Guest]

That's a bold prediction for a receiver that's coming from a run option offensive scheme. Darren Walker is pretty raw as receiver even more raw than Torrey when we drafted him in the second round and atleast Torrey was playing in  more  of a NFL style offense when came out of college. One of the mean reasons why people think Waller may be better suited at tight end because he isn't agile, quick, and is stiff .

 

What would possess you to say such things?

 

Isn't agile?  Have you viewed any of his film at all?

 

This guy is the sneakiest quick that they come. Do you know what the shuttle runs are drills to reveal? When you determine that look at his combine again.

 

Stiff?  Really?  .........no...Really?  Come on man.

 

He'll do more than Torrey ever could and is dang near as fast.

[jazz1988]

What would possess you to say such things?

 

Isn't agile?  Have you viewed any of his film at all?

 

This guy is the sneakiest quick that they come. Do you know what the shuttle runs are drills to reveal? When you determine that look at his combine again.

 

Stiff?  Really?  .........no...Really?  Come on man.

 

He'll do more than Torrey ever could and is dang near as fast.

What possess me to say these things because I did research on him. When he participated in East West Shrine game and was asked to run more advance routes  it was mention that he struggled to get open. According to rotoworld.com sources said  "We bet some teams look to make Waller a "move" tight end, meaning he could see a lot of time in the slot. Do not expect Waller to wow with quickness or agility or quickness. He looks laborious in his breaks and does not create separation that way. However, Waller plays to his strengths and will use his length/power to get off the line and his frame or length to make contested catches. He can definitely get vertical with long speed and ball tracking."

 

When I watch games of  him it's kinda hard to judge him on his quickness because he wasn't asked to run variety of routes when he was at Georgia Tech. It seems more like he was asked to run deep, curls, or comebacks routes but at the same time corner backs tend to give him alot of space because most opposing corners were concerned with stopping the run .When judging a receiver qujckness/agility  I tend to look at there 3 cone drill .  Waller 3 cone was  a 7.07 seconds, his 20 yard shuttle was 4.25 and his 60 yard shuttle was 11:35 seconds.

 

Waller has better hands and more physical than Torrey that's for sure but no way he has the same burst as Torrey. Waller has built up speed and doesn't have the same burst as Torrey.

Edited May 6, 2015 by jazz1988

[Guest]

To this point Waller has not shown the shifty quick moves to leave a Corner faked out, but Torrey never had that either.  Waller is going to surprise a lot of people with his burst, because he bursts effortlessly.  He will be taught to keep running and track Joes Orbit Ball and its gonna be spectacular.

What possess me to say these things because I did research on him. When he participated in East West Shrine game and was asked to run more advance routes  it was mention that he struggled to get open. According to rotoworld.com sources said  "We bet some teams look to make Waller a "move" tight end, meaning he could see a lot of time in the slot. Do not expect Waller to wow with quickness or agility or quickness. He looks laborious in his breaks and does not create separation that way. However, Waller plays to his strengths and will use his length/power to get off the line and his frame or length to make contested catches. He can definitely get vertical with long speed and ball tracking."

 

When I watch games of  him it's kinda hard to judge him on his quickness because he wasn't asked to run variety of routes when he was at Georgia Tech. It seems more like he was asked to run deep, curls, or comebacks routes but at the same time corner backs tend to give him alot of space because most opposing corners were concerned with stopping the run .When judging a receiver qujckness/agility  I tend to look at there 3 cone drill .  Waller 3 cone was  a 7.07 seconds, his 20 yard shuttle was 4.25 and his 60 yard shuttle was 11:35 seconds.

 

Waller has better hands and more physical than Torrey that's for sure but no way he has the same burst as Torrey. Waller has built up speed and doesn't have the same burst as Torrey.

[jazz1988]

To this point Waller has not shown the shifty quick moves to leave a Corner faked out, but Torrey never had that either.  Waller is going to surprise a lot of people with his burst, because he bursts effortlessly.  He will be taught to keep running and track Joes Orbit Ball and its gonna be spectacular.

We shall see but the guy fell to sixth round for a reason. All he has to do is prove people wrong and hopefully he does. Torrey may not have been super quick but he definitely has more quickness to his game than Waller. It's important for a receiver to have some quickness to their game especially for those that want to run all the routes but hey there has been big receivers in this league that aren't great route runners and still turn out to be successful.

Edited May 6, 2015 by jazz1988

[GrimCoconut]

We shall see but the guy fell to sixth round for a reason. All he has to do is prove people wrong and hopefully he does. Torrey may not have been super quick but he definitely has more quickness to his game than Waller. It's important for a receiver to have some quickness to their game especially for those that want to run all the routes but hey there has been big receivers in this league that aren't great route runners and still turn out to be successful.

Let me say, to be fair, Tom Brady and Antonio Brown fell to the 6th as well for many reasons, same goes for a slew of other WRs and good players who went late or undrafted, like Colston. I wouldn't make that argument lightly, and while it's true that there are many who fail to amount to anything, there's still talent and they should be afford a fair chance. 

 

I honestly don't know either way what happens with Waller, because I honestly haven't watched enough of him since I mainly watched GTs OL, specifically Mason, whenever I watched them. 

[cushrinada1986]

Waller looks to be part of a big man WR corps that may dominate in the AFC north this year. Marc seems to see a real chance of taking off with his passing game from chi town. Fact is, Flacco is much better than Cutler and much more accurate down field, given our WR's ability to be solid pass catchers, Flacco will not only pass 4k yards and 20+ TDs this but will completely humiliate a handful of teams defenses given the balance they now have on offense once the rookies get into the flow of things. Hands aside, Breshad will cause some PI's with his speed regardless, Maxx Williams will draw attention in the middle and up the seam, allowing a player like Waller a lot of one on one chances against shorter DB's. With his ability to out jump the DB and speed to threaten vertically, and not to mention at 233lbs, Waller will have the ability to block out some LB's with the back should pass that Flacco loves to do. If Waller can master the 1 on 1 battles he will see in the pro's, you're not just talking about a role player, he could be the reason why we are knocking on the door of the SB again.

 

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:12773572

[Guest]

Waller looks to be part of a big man WR corps that may dominate in the AFC north this year. Marc seems to see a real chance of taking off with his passing game from chi town. Fact is, Flacco is much better than Cutler and much more accurate down field, given our WR's ability to be solid pass catchers, Flacco will not only pass 4k yards and 20+ TDs this but will completely humiliate a handful of teams defenses given the balance they now have on offense once the rookies get into the flow of things. Hands aside, Breshad will cause some PI's with his speed regardless, Maxx Williams will draw attention in the middle and up the seam, allowing a player like Waller a lot of one on one chances against shorter DB's. With his ability to out jump the DB and speed to threaten vertically, and not to mention at 233lbs, Waller will have the ability to block out some LB's with the back should pass that Flacco loves to do. If Waller can master the 1 on 1 battles he will see in the pro's, you're not just talking about a role player, he could be the reason why we are knocking on the door of the SB again.

 

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:12773572

Couldn't find the subject in the link you provided. Could you link it again?

 

Regardless, share your opinion. Flacco is gonna love this guy.

[cushrinada1986]

Couldn't find the subject in the link you provided. Could you link it again?

 

Regardless, share your opinion. Flacco is gonna love this guy.

http://search.espn.go.com/Darren-Waller/

[January J]

Interesting...but how do you feel about Darren Waller?

lol, I'm diggin the optimism though. Size is always a good thing- something I think we were lacking for a while- and with Waller, brown , and the speedster perriman , AND mad maxx, defenses are going to literally have their hands full. They are not going to know who to cover! I expect a lot of confusion in our opponents this year - it's gonna take a long time for anybody to figure us out. They are going to have to plan for 4 diffrent guys- and that's not even including SSS! This is gonna be fantasy land for joe.

[Mad Puppy]

lol, I'm diggin the optimism though. Size is always a good thing- something I think we were lacking for a while- and with Waller, brown , and the speedster perriman , AND mad maxx, defenses are going to literally have their hands full. They are not going to know who to cover! I expect a lot of confusion in our opponents this year - it's gonna take a long time for anybody to figure us out. They are going to have to plan for 4 diffrent guys- and that's not even including SSS! This is gonna be fantasy land for joe.

Yeah optimism is good and all, but really Waller is going to have a tough time making the team. Unless Campanaro, Butler, and Robinson are all on the bubble this year. 

[mattw69]

I don't think The Ravens view him as a tight end. His timed speed and etc at The NFL Combine is very similar to Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin whom both are receivers where some thought would be better as tight ends than receivers.

Waller rounds his cuts. That is a deal breaker for a WR, and it's not a weakness of Evans or Benjamin. That's also NOT something you can coach out of him. Gronk does round his cuts, but it doesn't matter because Gronk can muscle off smaller corners or less athletic linebackers. That's how the ravens see waller after he puts on 15 or so pounds.

Edited May 7, 2015 by mattw69

[Guest]

Yeah optimism is good and all, but really Waller is going to have a tough time making the team. Unless Campanaro, Butler, and Robinson are all on the bubble this year. 

 

"Unless Campanaro, Butler and Robinson are on the bubble"

 

Is a Pit Bull a dangerous breed even if properly trained due to its inbred jaw strength?

 

Of course it is!

Waller rounds his cuts. That is a deal breaker for a WR, and it's not a weakness of Evans or Benjamin. That's also NOT something you can coach out of him. Gronk does round his cuts, but it doesn't matter because Gronk can muscle off smaller corners or less athletic linebackers. That's how the ravens see waller.

 

No worries, Torrey Smith was the king of the parametric curve. But Waller can make some sharp cuts.  He's faster than Gronk also and will line up at TE to throw chaos at them.

[757RavensFan]

Waller could be our DGB that many of us were clamouring for (me included). 

[cushrinada1986]

Plays like this is what makes me think he could have a future with this team:

https://youtu.be/hsmFcN75KmI?t=1h3m27s

[January J]

Yeah optimism is good and all, but really Waller is going to have a tough time making the team. Unless Campanaro, Butler, and Robinson are all on the bubble this year.

you can bet their on the bubble. With the potential talent we have this year- these dudes are gonna have to scrap it out for a spot. Coaches are gonna have a heck of a time figurin out this depth chart.

[JoeyFlex5]

i would like to see waller make the active 53 pretty consistently this year. perriman, sss, camp, aiken, brown, and waller. like ive said before waller has his concerns about his agility and his breaks, but he is a whole tier above the majority of late round project H/W/S wr's due to his ability to actually turn and position himself, box out, climb the ladder, high point, and catch the ball with his hands, that is an ability that cant be coached, you either have it or you dont, and waller has it, and every other late round project wr who is 6'5" or taller seems to seriously lack that ability. waller has potential to be a bonafide #2 or 3, and there is no better way to develop him than to let him get the reps where we think he could be beneficial, if he can grasp the playbook i think he should see lots of time on run formations since he will be an elite blocker up the sidelines, and this would allow for some nice PA plays, and i think he should get a solid number of redzone snaps, but as i said only if he is putting in the work required and he understands the playbook. a year or 2 of letting him split time as a 3rd and 4th option situational guy will be enough to really get him the reps he needs to develop, and he is a guy that i could actually see becoming a legit wr, not many db's in this league can handle his post skills.

[ravensnick]

you can bet their on the bubble. With the potential talent we have this year- these dudes are gonna have to scrap it out for a spot. Coaches are gonna have a heck of a time figurin out this depth chart.

I really doubt Robinson and Butler come close to making the team. I don't want to say Camp's a shoe in, but I have a tough time not seeing him make the team.

[Dubs]

Anyone know if Waller has been used on ST at GT...I do feel he is gonna be a bubble guy and I am just wondering of he has experience as a gunner or anything of the like...

[Moderator 3]

@RavensInsider: The Ravens have signed sixth-round wide receiver Darren Waller to a four-year contract, according to a source

@RavensInsider: Wide receiver Darren Waller's sixth-round Ravens deal includes a $111,096 signing bonus, according to a source

@RavensInsider: Ravens sign sixth-round wide receiver Darren Waller to four-year, $2.39 million deal, sources say: http://t.co/WjihlxPWI2

[sflegend89]

Waller could be our DGB that many of us were clamouring for (me included). 

 

They are pretty similar in some regards, their combine numbers are virtually identical across every single drill. Missouri threw the ball 452 times during DGB's final active season in 2013. Waller had 6 TD's last year and GT only threw the ball 201 times. DGB played in a scheme that put WR's in a better position to get open/produce and Waller played in a option offense that didn't even throw the ball half as much as Missouri and when they did it was usually out of some flexbone type formation.

 

With that said I still think DGB flashes more on film but to me Waller was an underrated commodity, 6 TD's in that offense is very respectable, Demaryius Thomas career high at GT was 8 TD's in a season. Missouri also did a great job of throwing that goalline fade for DGB, GT runs the ball when they are on the goalline, they aren't going to throw a back shoulder fade for a WR very often even if they do have a weapon like Waller because it doesn't fit their offensive philosophy, most of Waller's TD's came on throws of over 15 yds. 

 

Waller doesn't stack up athletically with Calvin or Demaryius coming out of GT but he was still overlooked and undervalued in my opinion.

Edited May 8, 2015 by sflegend89

[Guest]

No doubt Demaryius Thomas has developed into a great receiver, however finding "combine" stats on him will be hard.

 

His 40 time is said to be somewhere between 4.38 and 4.63 with a 4.52 average. Where those times were run is anyone's guess.

 

Calvin Johnson rand a 4.35 at the combine, declined to re-run it at his Pro Day, leapt 42.5 inches and Broad Jumped 11.7

 

For comparison Darren Waller ran a 4.46, leapt 37 inches and Broad Jumped 10.6 inches.

 

He's not Calvin Johnson on raw ability, but he's a little taller and has good hands. He's certainly not a body catcher.

 

He's got "rebounding skills" and Flacco is gonna love him.

They are pretty similar in some regards, their combine numbers are virtually identical across every single drill. Missouri threw the ball 452 times during DGB's final active season in 2013. Waller had 6 TD's last year and GT only threw the ball 201 times. DGB played in a scheme that put WR's in a better position to get open/produce and Waller played in a option offense that didn't even throw the ball half as much as Missouri and when they did it was usually out of some flexbone type formation.

 

With that said I still think DGB flashes more on film but to me Waller was an underrated commodity, 6 TD's in that offense is very respectable, Demaryius Thomas career high at GT was 8 TD's in a season. Missouri also did a great job of throwing that goalline fade for DGB, GT runs the ball when they are on the goalline, they aren't going to throw a back shoulder fade for a WR very often even if they do have a weapon like Waller because it doesn't fit their offensive philosophy, most of Waller's TD's came on throws of over 15 yds. 

 

Waller doesn't stack up athletically with Calvin or Demaryius coming out of GT but he was still overlooked and undervalued in my opinion.