The Ravens started their 2015 NFL Draft with size-speed wide receiver Breshad Perriman. They ended it with an even more giant wideout in the sixth round.
Baltimore selected 6-foot-6, 232-pound wide receiver Darren Waller out of Georgia Tech with the 204th overall pick. He was regarded as a possible third- or fourth-round pick.
"We all covet big receivers," said General Manager Ozzie Newsome, who spent 15 or 20 minutes talking with Waller on the phone before picking him.
"Big receiver, another big target for Joe [Flacco]. We know how tough it is facing receivers who are that type of size down in the red area. He brings all of that."
Waller notched 26 catches for 442 yards (17 yards per catch) and six touchdowns during his senior year. He had 17 snags for 367 yards and three touchdowns the season before.
Waller ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine and had a 37-inch vertical.
He uses his height and long arms to box out defenders and win jump balls. That could make him an immediate red-zone target. His speed also adds more big-play potential to the offense that lost Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones this offseason.
With Waller and Perriman, Baltimore added two major big-play receivers to the mix, joining Steve Smith Sr., Marlon Brown, Kamar Aiken and Michael Campanaro.
Waller was suspended for the season-opening games in 2013 and 2014 for violating team rules. There were no details on the infractions reported at the time and the Ravens did not reveal the infractions.
Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz said he grilled Waller about the troubles while at the East-West Shrine Game.
"He's made some mistakes when he was younger and he was honest and upfront about it," Hortiz said. "He didn't hide from it. He told us about his plan, how he's dealing with it, how he's continuing to deal with it. I came away impressed with how mature he came off.
"Sometimes you go into these conversations thinking you're ready to walk away and use it as the final dagger. It was the opposite. I was really impressed with how he carried himself."
