Like several other wide receivers before him such as Michael Campanaro, Aaron Mellette, Tommy Streeter, Justin Harper and a few more, the Ravens took a late round flyer on Darren Waller in the 2015 NFL Draft, selecting him in Round 6 with the 204th pick.
And just like the others, Waller has yet to gain any noteworthy traction in the NFL. Vegas sportsbooks would probably not even take action on wagers tied to Waller’s success.
The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket was once projected as a 3rd or 4th round selection prior to the 2015 NFL Draft but he fell markedly. Perhaps it was due to playing in a run option offense that didn’t feature the pass. Maybe it was his limited route running skills.
Or maybe it was off-the-field issues and teams decided Waller wasn’t worth the risk. The juice wasn’t worth the draft day squeeze.
In 2013 and 2014 Waller was suspended for violating team rules at Georgia Tech. Fast forward to 2016 and now the 6’6”, 245 pound pass catcher has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2016 regular season for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.
The Ravens talked about moving Waller to tight end, an already crowded position that includes Ben Watson, Dennis Pitta, Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle. Yet despite the logjam at the position, Waller’s physical skills provide intrigue for the team’s coaches and scouts.
He has the frame to add some weight to support the position and when you consider his size and the fact that he’s an effortless strider who can climb the ladder to make contested catches, The Waller Project is a worthy one. With that combination of size and speed he could be a matchup nightmare for opponents.
But the project has been derailed by his recent suspension.
Or has it?
Clearly the Ravens weren’t going to keep 6 tight ends, particularly when most of them don’t contribute on special teams. Boyle is out for the first 10 games due to his suspension, reducing the number to 5.
And now there’s Waller.
The second year player will be able to participate in training camp and during preseason games, allowing the Ravens to develop him at the position. And now that he’s added another suspension to his record he will be even less desirable to other teams, particularly 4 weeks into the season with little chance to learn a new offensive system with foreign terminology.
Given the blemished resume, Waller is likely to pass waivers and the Ravens can continue to work with him by adding the TE project to the team’s practice squad. There, the Ravens coaching staff can continue to assess Waller’s progress and push out a final determination on his future with the team until the summer of 2017.
So while the suspension certainly calls into question the intelligence of Waller and gives the team another character black eye, there is a silver lining in it for the Ravens.
It’s quite possible that if Waller develops and becomes a productive player for the Ravens, that flunked drug test could prove to be a blessing in disguise.
