There aren't many Waffle Houses in the Midwest, but Elijah Sarratt will feel more at home back in Baltimore in more ways than one.
The Ravens' fourth-round pick comes with the nickname "Waffle House" because he's always open. He can eat there in Maryland, and he can live up to it in M&T Bank Stadium.
Sarratt got the nickname from his father, Donnie, during his sophomore year at James Madison.
"I feel like every third down or something, they would give me the ball, and I would convert on it," Sarratt said. "And then my dad was – he went on social media talking about, 'He's always open, Waffle House,' or something."
It didn't gain much traction then, but after Sarratt transferred to Indiana, they asked him what his nickname was for part of a summer social media video. Sarratt resurfaced "Waffle House," not thinking much of it.
"Next thing I know, hours later, it's blowing up on Twitter," Sarratt said. "And then here we are today, I have merch and everything for it."
Sarratt posted 3,678 receiving yards over his college career. He hauled in 44 career touchdowns, including 15 last season that led the nation. Per Ian Hartitz, Sarratt caught 57% of his contested targets, which is one of the highest figures in this year's receiver class.
"It's a cool nickname, but it's also a mindset, too," Sarratt said. "Like I said, those contested catches, I always feel like I'm open. It's just a mentality that I have."
