NFL execs, coaches, and scouts rank Darren Waller as a top-five tight end in the league

Waller is still one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Jul 17, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

In this story:

If you believe the NFL execs, coaches, and scouts, then former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Darren Waller is still one of the top tight ends in the NFL, despite having some injuries over the last couple of seasons.

Waller was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason and is now playing for the New York Giants. ESPN has ranked him as high as the third-best tight end in the league.

Here is what was said about Waller and his placement this season:

Waller's on-field presence is undisputed. He's elite when he's out there. But missing 14 games over the past two years has hurt his ranking.

Yet he still ranks third in receptions (280) and receiving yards (3,394) among tight ends since 2019.

Waller can take over a game at any point. His 12 games with 100 receiving yards since 2019 trails only Kelce among tight ends. The Giants acquired him from Las Vegas in March.

"It's hard to knock him for a bad situation with the QB transition in Las Vegas and injuries," an NFC exec said. "He's still behind just Kelce as pass-catcher."

One AFC executive said Waller can be a high-level player for the Giants because "he can still run," but pointed out that his two best seasons (2019 and 2020) came when Las Vegas had minimal targets around him and losing records. He still has something to prove in the eyes of some."

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller — Darren Waller is still viewed as one of the best tight ends in the NFL
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Waller had been a member of the Raiders organization since 2018 after being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. Waller only caught nine passes last season and totaled 388 yards and three touchdowns.

The Giants are trying to surround quarterback Daniel Jones with as many weapons on offense as possible now that he has signed with them for the long term and getting the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket is the latest move to build around him.

For his career, Waller has surpassed 3,500 yards receiving, 19 touchdowns, and 298 catches. He has been one of the best-receiving threats in the NFL and is a consistent matchup problem on Sundays when healthy.

Waller played at Georgia Tech from 2012-2014 under Paul Johnson and in that time, he totaled 51 catches for 971 yards and nine touchdowns.

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