Why the Ravens drafted Devontez Walker

A look into the reasoning behind the Ravens’ pick of Devontez Walker at No. 113.

The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2024 NFL Draft needing to address the wide receiver position despite inking 2021 first-rounder Rashod Bateman to an extension the day before. Even though they waited until Day 3 to add a prospect at one of their positions of need, they were able to land a player who can come in and contribute right away with University of North Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker.

While nine-year veteran Nelson Agholor was brought back on a one-year deal, the departure of Odell Beckham Jr. and Devin Duvernay created a need to round out the depth chart at the position. Thankfully, this year’s draft is stacked with wide receiver talent and the Ravens took one of several prospects who would’ve likely been long gone in most years.

Walker helps diversify a receiver room by bringing a big-bodied presence who can stretch the field vertically with blazing speed while also being able to make contested catches. He bounced back from a rough outing at the 2024 Senior Bowl by being one was one of the top performers among all receivers at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, where he recorded the fourth-fastest time in the 40-yard dash at 4.36-seconds, second-best broad jump at 11-foot-2 and fifth-best vertical leap at 40.5 inches.

In his introductory Zoom call with the local media after getting drafted, Walker told reporters that he grew up looking up to and modeling his game after former Cincinnati Bengals legend AJ Green. In his final season at Kent State and after transferring to UNC Chapel Hill, he flashed a similar home-run threat playmaking ability by averaging 30.7 yards on touchdown receptions in his career and 16.8 yards per catch throughout his career.

Despite missing the first four games of his lone season with the Tar Heels and sitting out the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in the season finale, he still nearly finished as the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards, coming in second with 41 catches for 699 yards and finished with a team-leading seven touchdowns. Walker was also the only receiver to record a catch of over 20 yards against Ravens first-round pick Nate Wiggins last season in November although Clemson still wound up getting the best of their ACC foes 31-20.

The only knocks on Walker that likely attributed to him falling to the early portion of Day 3 are the lack of refinement in his route running and the inconsistency of his hands at times as he was prone to the occasional drop although most could be attributed to concentration and struggles in deep ball tracking. Both traits can be easily corrected with next-level coaching and he has the potential to develop into a dangerous down-the-field weapon for Ravens two-time MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s scheme.