THE WALLER FILE
Team: New York Giants
Height: 6-6
Weight: 238
Birthday: 9/13/1992
40-Yard Dash: 4.46 seconds
College: Georgia Tech
Draft: 204th overall, 2015
Contract: 3-year, $51 million
WAG: Married to Kelsey Plum
Children: N/A
Betting Odds: +12500 to win OPOY
Record/Accomplishments:
- Suspended for the season for substance abuse, 2017
- Signed a four-year, $29,800-million deal, 2019
- Led all tight ends with 107 catches, 2020
- One Pro Bowl selection, 2020
By Lenn Robbins
The beat of Darren Waller's drum
Darren Waller makes some sweet music on the field. And off it.
The Raiders tight end is one of the new-era players at his position. He played wide receiver at Georgia Tech but converted to tight end in 2016 while with the Baltimore Ravens. After signing with the Raiders in 2018, he exploded on the scene in 2019 when he had 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns.
That was the same year Waller released his first hip-hop album, “Wall Street.” If athletics isn’t in his DNA, music certainly is. His grandfather was jazz musician Fats Waller.
By 2020, Waller was one of the most productive tight ends in the game. He had 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine scores. But injures limited him to just 11 games and 55 catches for 665 yards last season.
If Waller has the kind of bounce back the season the Raiders are looking for, he might also have the title for his next album – “The Comeback Kid.”