{"id":162294,"date":"2024-02-15T14:30:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T19:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=162294"},"modified":"2024-02-15T12:24:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T17:24:15","slug":"devontez-walker-nfl-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/02\/15\/devontez-walker-nfl-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Devontez Walker NFL Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker NFL Draft Profile<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Position<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: Wide Receiver<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Height<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: 6\u2032-1\u2033<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Weight<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: 197 pounds<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">School<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">North Carolina<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">More 2024 NFL Draft Profiles<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">2024 NFL Draft: Devontez Walker Scouting Report<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker began his football career at North Carolina Central in 2020 but didn&#8217;t play in any games because the FCS season was canceled. In 2021, he transferred to Kent State and finished the season with five receptions, 124 yards, and one touchdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Walker had a great 2022 season, especially during the game against the national champions, Georgia. He had possibly the best game of his career with seven receptions, 106 yards, and a touchdown. He finished the season with 58 receptions, 921 yards, and 11 touchdowns, earning him\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/getsomemaction.com\/news\/2022\/11\/29\/mac-announces-2022-postseason-football-awards-all-conference-teams.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">first-team All-MAC honors<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After spending 2022 at Kent State, he transferred to North Carolina to be closer to family. He was named to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/news\/college-football-2023-preseason-all-acc-team\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">2023 Preseason All-ACC Team<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, but the NCAA ruled him a two-time transfer, which was a controversial decision. Initially, he was\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tar-heels-football-devontez-walker-ncaa-eligibility-5f2f59f0f9378265a2d46362447cbc07\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">denied eligibility<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for 2023, but his eligibility was reinstated after missing four games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Walker returned to play in eight games, catching 41 passes for 699 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a remarkable game against Miami, catching six passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns in his second game back. He earned\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/college\/north-carolina\/Article\/unc-football-tez-walker-will-enter-2024-nfl-draft-opt-out-of-mayo-bowl-222660064\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">third-team All-ACC<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Strengths<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker tracks the ball well and has excellent hand-eye coordination. Good at back-shoulder throws. Great at high pointing and a willing catcher through contact;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He&#8217;s a big play machine. He wins deep and has good long speed- clocked at 22 mph. angle eraser;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Walker displays high football IQ, finding soft spots and catching points. Adjusted quickly midseason after the 2023 transfer drama. He looked more comfortable at Kent State when he had time to gel;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He&#8217;s a fluid athlete with good short-area quickness. Walker separates vertically with an elite straight-line burst. Could separate with route running in addition to speed if developed correctly;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Walker is a nice length, size, and speed combo. Walker&#8217;s height and long arms enable him to reach defenders;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Vs. 2024 Draft Wide Receivers: Average Depth Of Target 18.2 (2nd).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Weaknesses<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker is not physical. Lean frame lets early contact disrupt his routes. He needs to work on his release packages because he can get stuck on the press when not using his hands;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He has too many focus drops and body catches. There are too many drops on the resume. His hands are a big red flag that was magnified during the Senior Bowl;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Walker had a small route tree at UNC. Right now, he&#8217;s a one-trick pony;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker needs to develop his route running and obtain nuance in routes to reach his ceiling. He has wasted movement, a lack of intention in his routes, and has trouble throttling in routes;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With his athletic profile, he should have burned more defenders;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Walker has limited play strength and isn&#8217;t a strong receiver despite having the frame to be;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Vs. 2024 Draft Wide Receivers: Pro Football Focus Receiving Grade 68.3 (33rd), Yards Per Route Run 2.28 (24th), Yards After The Catch Per Reception 2.8 (36th), Target Dominator Percentage 22.1% (17th).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NFL Comparison<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2022\/04\/05\/2022-nfl-draft-christian-watson-player-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Christian Watson<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Team Fits With Need At Position<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Panthers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chargers\/\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bills\/\" target=\"_self\">Buffalo Bills<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/titans\/\" target=\"_self\">Tennessee Titans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\/\" target=\"_self\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bengals\/\" target=\"_self\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Projection<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: Round 3<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Statistics gathered from\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"http:\/\/pff.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pro Football Focus<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NFL Comparison, Round Projections, and Team Fits are <\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/thecodyspears.start.page\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">my own.<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bottom Line on Devontez Walker<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker is a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect. He is excellent at high-pointing and is a willing catcher through contact. He has a high football IQ, good short-area quickness, and separates vertically with elite straight-line burst. Walker has a lean frame that lets early contact disrupt his routes and needs to work on his release packages to avoid getting stuck on press. He has too many focus drops and body catches and needs to develop his route running and obtain nuance in routes to reach his ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devontez Walker was dealt a poor hand when the NCAA didn&#8217;t allow him to play in UNC&#8217;s first four games due to a wild transfer rule. Despite that, he still performed well, showing an ability to adjust quickly. Walker looked more comfortable at Kent State in comparison to his unexpected late start at UNC. His draft stock would have benefited from being able to prepare for the season the right way. At the Senior Bowl, Walker&#8217;s\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/farazsiddiqi\/status\/1754534845672198192?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">inconsistent hands were magnified<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0during practice, but he also showed his\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jacobinfante24\/status\/1752384273422880797?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">elite athletic traits<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. His route running and hands leave much to be desired compared to the other receivers in the class, but Devontez Walker is a natural football player with a high ceiling in the right environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: [Ken Ruinard] &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Walker is one of the best linear threats in the draft, but he could be more than that if he proves his hands and route running can improve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5041,"featured_media":162303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647],"tags":[10073,32374,10076,24562,2679],"class_list":["post-162294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","tag-2024-nfl-draft","tag-devontez-walker","tag-drake-maye","tag-north-carolina-tar-heels","tag-wide-receivers"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5041"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}