ExtremeRavens Posted August 15 Posted August 15 Sweltering July afternoons in the South Florida heat provided Devontez Walker a moment to reflect. The rookie wide receiver spent a week this offseason training with Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers and more of his teammates in the weeks leading up to Ravens training camp. Walker, like he was in college, wants to be his new quarterback’s most trusted deep threat. Jackson pushed Walker’s limits, heaving balls as far as he could to see just how long the new tandem’s connection could reach. “He was putting it out there to see if I could go get it, even while I was tired,” Walker told The Baltimore Sun. “Him seeing that is why he trusts me.” Each completed throw brought him closer to that goal. It was also the first time Walker felt he belonged with his new squad. Belonging has mostly eluded the 23-year-old in his football journey. He spent time at three colleges and became the face of transfer portal disputes during a fierce fight for eligibility with the NCAA. Along with injuries and family challenges, he sometimes felt he took on his toughest challenges alone. That chapter of Walker’s life, full of twists and uncertainty, is closed. He’ll begin a new one when his rookie season with the Ravens starts next month. When that comes, he’ll finally just play football. “I’ve been playing my whole life. Now, I’m able to just do it freely,” Walker said. “I’m living my dream now.” Fighting for a spot Walker’s path to playing time in Baltimore will be difficult. He’s behind Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor and potentially others in a crowded wide receiver room. The Ravens broke camp last season with six receivers. They’ve signed two veterans since the start of camp, and they’ve waived one of their draft picks each of the past three seasons. Walker’s spot won’t be guaranteed, a reality he understands and one that pushed him to find other ways onto the field. Walker is playing more special teams than he ever did in college. He recalls taking only one snap as a gunner on Kent State’s punt coverage unit, whereas now he devotes a large portion of practices to perfecting kickoff coverage responsibilities. “I feel like I’m doing pretty good, adjusting well,” Walker said. “[Special teams] is kinda new to me. If you’re not that second or third guy at your position, you’re gonna be on special teams. If that’s my way of getting on the field, then that’s what it is.” Devontez Walker’s summer has been imperfect. That’s a circumstance he’s familiar with. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Walker has been limited with a rib injury as of late, coach John Harbaugh said this week. The receiver was targeted just once, an uncatchable pass from rookie Devin Leary, in Baltimore’s preseason opener, and Walker has worked with the first- or second-team offense sparingly in recent practices. Harbaugh expects his opportunities to ramp up soon. “I’d like to see him go out there and take a lot more reps and see what he can do,” the coach said. The 6-foot-3 receiver averaged 17 yards per reception with North Carolina last season. That would have led the Ravens — the next closest returning receiver was Bateman at 11.5 yards per catch. Although training camp hasn’t been as clear as Walker hoped, occasional highlight completions show flashes of the deep threat he can be. He still has time to get acclimated, put his minor injury behind him, and impress as he did in Florida last month. Those extra days with Jackson are an advantage he has over most other receivers fighting for the same roster spots. Walker’s summer has been imperfect. That’s a circumstance he’s familiar with. ‘I thought it was over’ Walker tore his ACL the day after he signed with East Tennessee State as a high school senior. Then, one week before he was set to move onto campus in July 2019, the school rescinded his scholarship offer. ETSU first called West Charlotte coach Josh Harris hoping he’d break the news to Walker. Harris refused, then received an emotional call from Walker five minutes later. “That hurt,” Harris told The Baltimore Sun in a phone interview. “That hurt all of us.” Walker is the first player Harris has ever coached to reach the NFL. Harris, now an assistant athletic director at another Charlotte-area school, was at M&T Bank Stadium on Friday for Walker’s preseason debut — five years after that trajectory-altering injury. Harris offered his usual feedback over dinner Saturday night at Nick’s Fish House in South Baltimore, but both are quick to note their relationship extends beyond football. “We’re family,” Harris said. “It started out as just coaching, but now we’re literally family.” 1st preseason game in the books @DevontezWalker pic.twitter.com/iqVUQPPfEG — Coach_Harris (@harris_coach) August 10, 2024 Walker’s ACL tear kicked off a lengthy recovery process. He worked at Bojangles, a fast-food restaurant, to pay for the surgery and rehabilitation. Whenever doubts crept in, Harris reminded Walker of a conversation they had after a practice. The coach asked his player what his goals were. They were, of course, the NFL. If that was true, Harris said, Walker’s chase had to be unrelenting. “If your goal is to go to the NFL, I shouldn’t have to question your work ethic and how you move from this point on,” Harris recalled telling Walker. “And I never had to question it.” The receiver ultimately landed at North Carolina Central, which canceled what would have been his freshman season in 2020. That pushed Walker to Kent State, 500 miles from home in North Carolina, where he posted 921 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore and blossomed into one of the best at his position in the nation. Everything went Walker’s way on the field. Off it, there was a hole he failed to fill. His grandmother couldn’t watch him play. Loretta Black has had multiple knee and hip surgeries and battles severe scoliosis, making long flights and car rides difficult. Walker was her caretaker before he left for college. Being without her for the first time weighed heavily while he flourished on the field, so much that it pulled him back home. That decision threw Walker into a months-long battle to play against the NCAA, which initially deemed him ineligible as a two-time transfer. “After they denied it, I just thought it was over,” he said. Walker hired a legal team that threatened to sue as public pressure mounted. The NCAA reversed its decision five weeks into last season. Walker led the Atlantic Coast Conference in touchdowns from that point on. His grandmother saw each one. Black will be in Baltimore for the Ravens’ home opener Sept. 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Walker relied on her for guidance throughout his life. That’ll continue even as a professional. Reaching the NFL was just as much her dream as it is his. “She’s the one I’ve leaned on, cried on,” Walker said. “She was one of the only ones who was there for me. That’s why I go so hard for her.” His winding journey continued — and largely still is. Walker spent a night in a hospital after a crushing hit from a Georgia Tech defensive back later that season. He dropped three balls and finished with zero catches on eight targets at the Senior Bowl, a showcase game for NFL draft entrants. He finally impressed at the scouting combine, where he ran the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash among the 30 receivers present. In April, the Ravens made Walker their fourth-round pick to pair his speed with their two-time Most Valuable Player at quarterback. Walker finally arrived at his desired destination, however bumpy the path there might have been. He faces new tests this preseason. He’s prepared. “Everybody’s story is different,” Harris said. “He could write a great book right now.” View the full article Quote
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