Bill Belichick praises Raiders TE Darren Waller ahead of Week 3 matchup

Darren Waller is drawing eyes from all around the NFL. The Las Vegas Raiders tight end put on a show on "Monday Night Football" against the New Orleans Saints with 12 receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown. 

After a spectacular performance, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden hopes Waller can keep pace against the New England Patriots on Sunday. While the Raiders aren't worried about Waller performing well against New England, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick admitted that it would be a "challenge" for his squad to contain the fifth-year player.

“I’m really impressed with everything he does,” Belichick said Tuesday on a conference call, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He’s very competitive, got great size, got great quickness for his size, catches the ball very well. He can run all the routes. Really is a versatile player, talented. He’ll definitely be a problem for us. There’s not one thing you can take away from him. He does a lot of things well.”

Unlike Gruden, Belichick doesn't have the luxury of having a tight end like Waller. New England hasn't been able to replace the hole that Rob Gronkowski left at the position following the 2018 campaign. The Patriots have tried Benjamin Watson, Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse at the position since Gronk first retired, but only Izzo has seemed to stick for the 2020 season. 

Waller had a breakout year in 2019 with the Raiders — the first 16-game season of his career. The 28-year-old reeled in 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. He'll likely continue to play a big role for the Raiders this season. 

If Gruden has any hopes of beating an extremely motivated Cam Newton following New England's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he'll need Waller to play a big role in Sunday's game.