Unheralded Georgia Tech products now impressing with NFL teams

Published May. 12, 2015 12:24 p.m. ET

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There wasn't much hype surrounding former Yellow Jackets Darren Waller, a wide receiver, and Isaiah Johnson, a safety, leading up to the 2015 NFL draft. Waller ended up going to the Baltimore Ravens in the second-to-last round, while Johnson was unselected and later picked up by the Detroit Lions.

Now, both of the underrated Georgia Tech products are impressing their new coaches, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

"I think with him, he’s got range and ability and is smart," Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said of Johnson, per the Journal-Constitution. "I think he’s got a pretty good upside."

Johnson is lining up at free safety in Detroit, Sugiura notes. Waller is drawing even more praise than Johnson, as the Ravens apparently like what they see in him as a pass-catcher.

"He has good catch radius," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said, via the Journal-Constitution. "We saw it on tape, we saw it in the workout, but now to see it here on our field is the confirmation (of) how well he moves for a big man. Now, he doesn’t move like a 5-foot-9 receiver. He’s long, he’s fast, he gets in and out of breaks exceptionally well. He can snatch the ball. So we’ll see where it goes from here, but so far, so good."

Both Johnson and Waller appear to be on the right track to have impactful NFL careers.

(h/t Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Photo Credit: Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports