GT - Miss St Post game

[D-man44]

I'm so proud of this team!

 

[buzz_wiser©]

There was alot of happy gt peeps on the way up the interstate yesterday.
We had a group of 50 or so "swarming" into a waffle house afterwards.not a cowbell around

 

[SavannahBee]

There was alot of happy gt peeps on the way up the interstate yesterday.
We had a group of 50 or so "swarming" into a waffle house afterwards.not a cowbell around

Reminds me of the drive back to Atlanta in 90 after the Citrus Bowl. We were a big long throng of cars honking and celebrating!

 

[GTonTop88]

I can't sleep...watching the highlights on ESPN...Hey Jesse...there is SEC speed then there is GT speed.
BTW...great game for Days...couldn't happen to a better guy.

I have to give Darren Waller a ton of praise also. He really played phenomenal, I was worried when we lost Smelter but Darren stepped in and we never missed a beat. Other than a couple of route communication mistake against FSU Waller has been dominate when called upon. He gave scouts something to look at this year and we probably have 2 wrs goin in the draft now.

 

[Mack]

I've been watching Tech football since the 1950s. I've enjoyed great coaching, outstanding players, champions, and incredible victories. Now I've enjoyed the best night of sleep I've had in ages and can think with a relatively calm and cool head. So here is my heartfelt critique as a Tech fan:

I LOVE THIS TECH TEAM BETTER THAN ANY TEAM IN MEMORY!!!

Been there at same time you started watching tech and this is a special team.....we didnt throw any games aways with stupid turnovers nor did we fail to take advantage of other teams misfourtunes........good group of guys but ......I liked the 90 team of NC studs...both are good though and hope we see more good ball next year.

 

[jackette]

Are you kidding me?

What a performance by GT.

I said the OL would struggle...boy they dominated.

Justin Thomas what a game! His name is going to be in the limelight now.

11 wins...Orange Bowl Champs, ACC Coastal Champs, State Champs! unreal season!

you forgot Heisman Candidate

I was there, had front row seat Tech end zone left of field goal, in warm up practice the team was near us, I had my "Jackette" jacket with No. 5 and showed it to Justin and he smiled and waved back at me, glad I was there to support the Jackets

 

[Techster]

I have to give Darren Waller a ton of praise also. He really played phenomenal, I was worried when we lost Smelter but Darren stepped in and we never missed a beat. Other than a couple of route communication mistake against FSU Waller has been dominate when called upon. He gave scouts something to look at this year and we probably have 2 wrs goin in the draft now.

Waller will get a look in someone's camp, but the chances of him getting drafted is slim. He just doesn't show the consistency or speed necessary for a team to spend a pick on him. In the 2014 draft, there were 33 WRs drafted. Think about that...out of all 120+ teams in just FBS college football, all which use multiple WRs, do you think Waller is one of the top 30+/- prospects? Now include players on the FCS level. 4 WRs were drafted from the FCS level last season. LSU alone had 3 WRs picked in the draft, Clemson 2. Getting drafted, even in the lower rounds, is a very special privilege only a select few get.

The thing that intrigues about Waller is his size, but "big" WRs aren't a rarity anymore. He doesn't have the freak size/speed/athleticism combo of Stephen Hill...and even Stephen was our clear cut go to guy. Waller has never been that for us. I'm rooting for Waller because he's a GT guy, and I think he's an intriguing prospect to develop at TE, but NFL doesn't draft guys who show more promise than production...they sign them as UDFA's and put them on the practice squad to see if they can develop. Guys they draft are expected to contribute from Day 1.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-position/dt-by-position-input:wr

 

[jeffgt14]

do you think Waller is one of the top 30+/- prospects?

Waller is rated the 19h best WR in the draft right now so I definitely think he's around the 30 or so WR prospects. His speed ain't that bad either. He can run around a 4.5 and I would say he's probably as fast if not faster than Smelter (we won't find out now though ). None of this means he's a for sure draft pick but right now he's rated about 30 spots higher than Smelter is. Part of that is due to injury but they were rated about the same even before that.

 

[Ggee87]

you forgot Heisman Candidate

I was there, had front row seat Tech end zone left of field goal, in warm up practice the team was near us, I had my "Jackette" jacket with No. 5 and showed it to Justin and he smiled and waved back at me, glad I was there to support the Jackets

If you're a Jackette? What's that make a female Ugag fan? Humm...

 

[takethepoints]

Yes, I think Waller is a no-brainer for the pros. He's enormous, for one thing. Calvin enormous. He's fast; I can think of two people that size in the pros now who run like he does: Calvin and Bey-Bey. He has decent hands, as good as Smelter's. He won't go high, but someone will take him just to get his physique.

 

[COJacket]

Yes, I think Waller is a no-brainer for the pros. He's enormous, for one thing. Calvin enormous. He's fast; I can think of two people that size in the pros now who run like he does: Calvin and Bey-Bey. He has decent hands, as good as Smelter's. He won't go high, but someone will take him just to get his physique.

Agree with this 110%. Look at the teams that have drafted athletic, large basketball players with little to no football experience for the TE position. Out here Julius Thomas (not to be confused with BeyBey) has turned into an all pro in 2-3 years. He was drafted in a late round. He had very little football experience coming into the league. But his size, his hands, his speed, his athleticism crafted by a good coach has made him dangerous on the field (when he is healthy at least). Waller has all of these things, plus great football experience and a will to block (!), to bring to a team. I do see a team using a mid to late round draft pick on Waller with the idea they will try to develop a Julius Thomas like player out of him. Thanks Darren for all that you have done for the Jackets. It was fun watching you come into your own.

 

[deeeznutz]

Waller is rated the 19h best WR in the draft right now so I definitely think he's around the 30 or so WR prospects. His speed ain't that bad either. He can run around a 4.5 and I would say he's probably as fast if not faster than Smelter (we won't find out now though ). None of this means he's a for sure draft pick but right now he's rated about 30 spots higher than Smelter is. Part of that is due to injury but they were rated about the same even before that.

Not doubting your info, but where are you finding these draft rankings? I haven't really seen either of them in any lists I've found, but then I'm not paying espn insider. I think any gm who thinks Waller is a better receiver than Smelter should definitely be fired! Maybe Waller wins on measurables, but just watch one game with both of them and the difference is obvious. Smelter is just such a natural football player!

 

[deeeznutz]

If you're a Jackette? What's that make a female Ugag fan? Humm...

Snoop Dogg said it best...a dog that don't pee on trees, is a ____ (use your imagination)

 

[jeffgt14]

Not doubting your info, but where are you finding these draft rankings? I haven't really seen either of them in any lists I've found, but then I'm not paying espn insider. I think any gm who thinks Waller is a better receiver than Smelter should definitely be fired! Maybe Waller wins on measurables, but just watch one game with both of them and the difference is obvious. Smelter is just such a natural football player!

These are ESPN insider rankings.

 

[reubenjet]

Good to see Waller make some big catches...

Agreed! Waller was clutch and JT5 was more accurate than I have seen him. He did "lob" a few that forced Waller to break stride and turn back. A little offseason work and he'll be fine!

 

[Techster]

People who think all it takes for a WR to be drafted is to be tall and run half decently....well, don't quit your day job to go into pro scouting.

Here's 6'6 Brandon Coleman from Rutgers who ran a 4.56:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/brandon-coleman?id=2543642

He was the highest rated non-drafted WR. Does Waller's resume compare to Coleman's?

Here's non-drafted 6'4 L'Damian Washington from Missouri who ran a 4.46 at the combine:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/ldamian-washington?id=2543617

Again, does Waller's resume compare to Washington's?

Both those guys had far more productive college careers and came from "pro" friendly offenses.

Now look at all the WRs that got drafted in 2014...a lot were under 6' tall...size doesn't give you an advantage. On top of that, Waller is coming from an offense that doesn't run an NFL route tree or uses NFL concepts, and Waller doesn't have freak abilities like Hill and Demaryius to overcome his lack of production and "pro offense" experience. Add to that, he's not an obvious special teams candidate...and guys who get drafted in the lower rounds have to contribute on special teams.

Listen, I'm not bagging on Waller, but a lot of GT fans tend to overestimate our player's worth on the next level. There are a LOT of good college players out there, and as fans of our beloved school, we tend to view our players in a vacuum. I hope I'm wrong and Waller gets drafted along with Smelter because that will be nothing but good for GT and our recruiting, but reality is Waller faces long odds of getting drafted due to a myriad of factors.

BTW, NFL draft rankings for Waller I found:

#40 WR by NFL draft scout:
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=125673&draftyear=2015&genpos=WR

NR, Walter Football
http://walterfootball.com/draft2015WR.php

NR, SBNation (Smelter #12)
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-dr...ceiver-rankings-another-great-group-headlined

#47, CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2015/WR

NR, NFL Draft Countdown
http://www.draftcountdown.com/Rankings/WR.php

NR, Optimum Scouting (Smelter #14)
http://optimumscouting.com/rankings/static-rankings/wide-receiver-rankings-html.html

Preferred FA, Scout NFL Network
http://profootball.scout.com/story/1493747-2015-nfl-draft-rankings-wide-receivers

The good news for Waller is he's been invited to the East West Shrine bowl and will get an opportunity to showcase himself against top talent.

 

[Techster]

These are ESPN insider rankings.

Senior prospect rankings, or overall?

 

[deeeznutz]

Really don't want this to sound like a slam on Waller, because I'm DAMN glad he's on our team. I don't think his basic receiver skills are anywhere near good enough for him to make it as a WR in the league (think Stephen Hill with less freakish athleticism). I do think he has a chance to be a good pro though if a team is willing to take a flyer on him as a TE and try to groom him behind a guy like Jimmy Graham. All he needs is a coach to teach him to high point a jump ball and he's golden. He still catches the ball way too close to his body. That one skill can make him SO MUCH more productive.

 

[Boomergump]

This has been by far Waller's best year. If you were to ask me last year, I would laugh. Until this year he hadn't made a catch on a contested ball of any kind and was as soft as they come. This year he has actually made some plays and defeated defenders for 50-50 type balls. His hands are better than Hill's, but that really isn't saying much. I would be very surprised if he ran 4.5 or lower. My guess would be high 4.5s to low 4.6s. He has learned to block and that counts for something. He is tall and creates matchup problems, but if you compare him getting in and out of breaks, or just general physicality, to Smelter, it isn't even close. I hope the best for the kid because he has finally seen the light, but I think he will have his work cut out to make a roster. Hey man, if he does, I will be as happy as anybody.

 

[COJacket]

Again, the only way I see Waller getting drafted is someone likes what they see in his blocking skills (he has improved), thinks that he can get even better in blocking and catching skills; likes what they see in his route running (he did do some nice comebacks and sideline catches this year); and thinks they can bulk him up some more and not lose too much speed, they will draft him late for a TE position. I would take a flyer on him vs some basketball player that has not shown me anything on the field but has comparable measureables.