INDIANAPOLIS -- He saw Calvin Johnson pull up in his fancy car outside Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium in the summer of 2011, saw the Detroit Lions' All-Pro receiver pop out of his car and immediately, Darren Waller was starstruck.

Darren Waller, a draft prospect out of Georgia Tech, hopes to make it big playing receiver in the NFL. David Goldman/AP Photo

This was the guy Waller watched growing up. This was the guy, one day, Waller hoped to emulate -- never mind he was a freshman making the conversion from safety to wide receiver in a triple-option offense run by Paul Johnson.

Here he was, meeting one of the most famous players in Georgia Tech's history. Then Johnson posed for a picture and offered some advice, something that has stuck with the now-NFL prospect.

"He said, 'Take everything in as you can,' because I never really played receiver before," Waller told ESPN.com at the NFL scouting combine. "And always have confidence in yourself no matter how hard the learning curve may be. Or you may not be seeing coverages as quickly as you want to and things along those lines. Your routes may not be as good but just stay at it and know you have the athletic ability to do it."

Meeting Johnson underscored the recent receiver lineage at Georgia Tech with Johnson and Demaryius Thomas, two of the top receivers in the NFL. Thomas was drafted in 2010, a year before Waller arrived, and left Waller and others to replace him.

Waller adjusted to receiver in a triple-option system not known for passing. He never put up big numbers at Georgia Tech, but there remains legacy pressure as a receiver at the school.

"Undoubtedly," Waller said. "It's just that those guys did such great things there, that's what the fans are used to. People around the program expect greatness because it's been in front of them and been passed down, so they expect guys to do great things. That's what they should do and we should expect that for ourselves."

Waller never had more than 500 yards in a season, topping out at 442 yards his senior year. But he could end up as the next NFL receiver to come out of Georgia Tech with a frame that is at least similar to the man he met as a freshman.

He is 6-foot-6 and weighs 238 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds, had a 37-inch vertical and a 125-inch broad jump at the combine. His 60-yard shuttle of 11.35 seconds was among the best performances among receivers at the combine.

Waller is rated as the No. 28 receiver in the draft by ESPN/Scouts Inc. and the No. 197 overall player. Rated with above average ball skills, big-play ability and competitiveness on his profile (and below average separation skills), he could be an intriguing late-round pick for the Lions, where he could learn and glean more advice from the man he met four years ago.

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Yet Waller is a project. He hasn't run the number or breadth of routes receivers in traditional college programs have. He recognizes this transition and the concern about his ability to making the leap. This is where the lineage helps.

Waller peppered Johnson and Thomas with questions whenever they returned to Georgia Tech. He'd ask them about the small things they did to become successful. Even though he rarely was able to show it in a run-heavy option offense, he's been learning along the way.

That goes to the best piece of advice Johnson offered -- not that day but a little bit later down the road.

"Just make your game as well rounded as possible," Waller said. "He's been in the league for so long and he's been an All-Pro, broke Jerry Rice's record but the fact that he's still taking the approach to absorbing and learning information every day and with his routes.

"Not just accepting having good routes for a big guy but having good routes overall, period."

Route-running is part of Waller's transition process. It's part of his plan to learn as he tries to develop into the next Georgia Tech receiver to reach the NFL.