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Raiders Darren Waller is an elite tight end, and here is why

By Daniel Davis

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 20: Darren Waller #83 of the Oakland Raiders scores a touchdown in the second half against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field on October 20, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 20: Darren Waller #83 of the Oakland Raiders scores a touchdown in the second half against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field on October 20, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 29: Darren Waller #83 of the Oakland Raiders is tackled by Will Parks #34 of the Denver Broncos after a 79-yard reception against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of a game at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 29: Darren Waller #83 of the Oakland Raiders is tackled by Will Parks #34 of the Denver Broncos after a 79-yard reception against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of a game at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

The Trend

So what do all these elite tight ends have in common for their teams?

  1. The most reliable receiver on the team

  2. Biggest target

  3. Led the teams in receptions

  4. Over a 100 quarterback rating when targeted

  5. A high percentage of teams first down catches

  6. Low amount of drops

  7. High YAC rating

  8. Double-digit avoided tackles

  9. High yards per catch average

What if I told you Darren Waller led the Oakland Raiders in every one of these eight categories (led team in yards per catch with players who caught more than 40 catches).

1) Waller was 100% the most reliable receiver on the Raiders in 2019. Waller caught 78% of the passes thrown his way with 90 on 115. Compare that to the next guy on the list, Hunter Renfrow. He caught 73% of his passes with 49 catches on 67 targets and Tyrell Williams – who was all preseason hype it seems – with 42 catches on 64 targets.

2) Waller had the most targets thrown his way with 115 and dropped the least amount of passes for his targets (Renfrow, Williams, and Waller all had 5 and Waller had twice as many targets). He’s also the literal biggest target on the team at 6’6″ and 255 pounds.

3) Waller led the team, almost by twice over, at 115 compared to the next guy at 67 (Hunter Renfrow).

4) With players who had over 20 targets, he ranks third in quarterback rating with 109.6. The players ahead of him are Foster Moreau (120), Hunter Renfrow (114), and Tyrell Williams (111).

5) Waller caught 53 first downs of the teams 193. Renfrow, Williams, and Jalen Richard all had 78 combined.

6) As stated before, Waller only had 5 drops on the season.

7) Waller had nearly 600 of the Raiders total 2,200 yards after the catch. He had more than the other two top receivers combined – Renfrow (312) and Williams (198).

8) Waller led the team with 11 avoided tackles.

9) Waller ranks second with 12.7 ypc of the top 3 receivers – Renfrow (12.3) and Williams (15.5).

Say what you want about Derek Carr, Paul Guenther, and the entire Raiders organization, but don’t for a second say Darren Waller isn’t elite. He deserves all the credit he gets and deserves the distinction of the elite category.

dark. Next. Maurice Hurst should be a Pro Bowl player for Raiders in 2020

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