ESPN news: He will be a threat to Lamar Jackson maybe this is the replacement
– North Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker heard the voice of Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta when he picked up the phone during the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, having gone without a call the first two days of the draft.
“How would you feel about catching passes from Lamar Jackson?” DeCosta enquired.
Walker started crying as soon as he spoke with DeCosta and was crying when he talked to Ravens coach John Harbaugh. When Walker informed his mother and grandmother for the first time at the age of four that he wanted to play in the NFL, his feelings had been rising ever since.
Walker’s journey to the league, however, has not been easy. He had to deal with an agonizing Senior Bowl performance, a ruptured ACL, and a tense transfer argument with the NCAA. Walker is hoping he has found a home as the newest playmaker for the league’s most valuable player after switching between three institutions.
“Just hearing that an NFL team values your skill set and you as a person, it just makes you feel good, [like] you’ve done all the right things to get to this point,” Walker stated. “It was just a great feeling.”
Walker might be Jackson’s top deep downfield target; he was selected as the 19th wide receiver in this year’s draft. Due to an eligibility issue, he made his ACC debut on October 14 versus North Carolina, when he finished second in the conference with 656 receiving yards and led with seven touchdown catches.
Walker’s height (6 feet 1 inch, 191 pounds), quickness, and capacity to outpace opponents are his main advantages. He totaled nine receptions on passes thrown at least twenty yards in the air in eight games during the previous season.
A.J. Green, a receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals who plagued Baltimore from 2011 to 2020, served as Walker’s model for the game. Walker was likened by DeCosta to Torrey Smith, whose spectacular downfield exploits propelled the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2012. Walker and Smith established their explosiveness in college by outpacing cornerbacks on deep routes. However, concerns about their ability to consistently catch the ball followed them to the NFL.
DeCosta stated, “[Smith] made big plays when it counted.” “He’s a glue guy, and I just think Tez has a lot of the same qualities.”
Smith had 21 catches on passes of at least 30 yards over his four seasons with Baltimore. Even so, during the previous 12 seasons, that is still more than double what any other Ravens player has accomplished.
For Jackson and the Ravens, the deep passing game has been a vulnerability. He completed 26.9% of the passes on throws of 30 yards or more last season, which was good for seventh in the league.
Walker, who considered playing with Jackson an honor, has the potential to change all of this.
“I’ve been watching Lamar since he came out of high school,” Walker stated. “He’s somebody that I wished I was on his team, and now that wish is coming true.”
“I assumed my season was over.”
Walker had only accepted the most uncertain period of his professional career eight months prior.
To be honest, I felt my season was over,” Walker remarked.
Walker intended to transfer to North Carolina in 2023, his third university since beginning his scholastic career. However, the NCAA first rejected his application for immediate eligibility, citing his status as a two-time transfer. Walker had previously appeared on the rosters of Kent State in 2021–2022 and NC Central in 2020. For a few reasons, he thought he was eligible to play for North Carolina: Due to a COVID-19-canceled season, he was never able to play for NC Central, and he desired to go to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in order to be nearer to his ailing grandmother.
Coach Mack Brown of North Carolina criticized the choice, calling the NCAA, “shame on you.” The NCAA board of directors reported that threats of violence were made against committee members.
Eventually, in early October, the NCAA changed its mind and approved Walker’s waiver. NCAA athletes can now, regardless of the number of transfers they make, start playing right away.
“The whole year, I had no idea that I was going to play at all,” Walker stated. I wasn’t sure if I should declare for the draft. I wasn’t sure at the time, but it was essentially how I felt. [I’d] probably be [undrafted] or returning [to North Carolina]. I was rather surprised to receive that call because I had no idea that I would play at all.”
Walker’s football career has taken many surprising detours. Walker insisted on playing wide receiver after high school, despite the fact that most colleges preferred that he play defensive back. East Tennessee State made one of the few offers in 2019, but those intentions were derailed by a serious knee injury.
Walker obtained a job at Bojangles to help pay for his rehab expenses, and while working there, he met several NC Central coaches who had watched his game footage. Up until the pandemic caused the season to be canceled, he was scheduled to perform there.
