North Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker had to wait until day three to hear his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft. Then, in the midst of round four, at pick 113, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta rang his phone
“How would you feel about catching passes from Lamar Jackson?” DeCosta asked.
Walker started crying tears of joy, as the thought of teaming up with the two-time MVP is literally a dream come true for him.
“I’ve been watching Lamar since he came out of high school,” said Walker in a recent interview.
“He’s somebody that I wished I was on his team, and now that wish is coming true.”
Fantasy is about to become reality for Walker, who is about 6’2″ and runs a 4.36 40-yard dash. What rookie receiver wouldn’t love the chance to pair up with a quarterback who has thrown close to 1,400 completions for just under 16,000 yards across six seasons.
Despite eligibility issues forcing him to miss almost the entire first half of the season, Devontez Walker still finished second in the ACC in receiving yards (656) and led the league with seven touchdown receptions.
He averaged a very impressive 17-yards-per-catch at UNC, and that is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Ravens offense. Baltimore needs to be better at more efficiently completing the deep ball, and it is thought that Walker could be the missing piece to that puzzle.
If the Ravens can be more precise and consistent on the deep routes, the entire offense as a whole should hum like a well-oiled engine. Perhaps Walker is the missing piece to that puzzle.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.