Ravens pick intriguing Georgia Tech wideout Waller to conclude draft

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After addressing a plethora of needs and wants over the three days of the 2015 NFL draft, the Ravens tabbed an intriguing developmental prospect with their final selection.
Selected with the 204th overall pick, Georgia Tech wide receiver Darren Waller brings impressive size (6-foot-6 and 240 pounds) and speed (4.46 second 40-yard dash time) despite underwhelming numbers in the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option offense. In 12 games as a senior, he caught 26 passes for 442 yards and six touchdowns, but Waller shined in the Orange Bowl with a five-catch, 114-yard performance in a win over Mississippi State.
Waller was the second wide receiver chosen by general manager Ozzie Newsome after the 26th overall pick of the draft was spent on Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman. The Ravens have now chosen a receiver in the sixth or seventh round in four straight drafts.
If Waller can improve his route-running ability, he can better utilize his reliable hands as well as a frame that resembles a tight end. His best bet for contributing early would be as a red-zone threat with Newsome noting that teams are always coveting big receivers in that area of the field.
Projected by many as a possible mid-round selection, the Ravens had to feel pretty good about getting a receiver possessing so much upside with their final pick of the weekend. Wallter is the latest in a list of towering wideouts from Georgia Tech to go to the NFL with some finding overwhelming success — Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas — and others failing to develop — Stephen Hill — in the last decade.