The worst-kept secret in this year’s draft is the Bills’ need to find new receiver talent
The Buffalo Bills have met with wide receiver prospect Devontez Walker from North Carolina on a top-30 visit. The Bills are looking to inject some new talent into their receivers room after losing two starters this offseason.
Tez Walker just might fit the bill come draft weekend. Let's take a look at what he could bring to the table.
College Career
Devontez Walker played two seasons at Kent State before transferring to North Carolina for his final season.
2021: 5 receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD
2022: 58 receptions for 921 receiving yards and 11 TDs; first-team All-MAC and finished seventh in FBS in receiving TDs.
2023: 41 receptions for 699 receiving yards and 7 TDs; only played in 8 games; third-team All-ACC.
NFL Scouting Combine Results
- Height: 6’1 1/2”
- Weight: 193 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds (4th among WRs)
- 10-yard split: 1.54 seconds (20th out of 30 WRs)
- Vertical jump: 40.5” (5th among WRs)
- Broad jump: 11’2” (2nd among WRs)
Devontez Walker is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.88 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 38 out of 3063 WR from 1987 to 2024.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/csoWFv2iJx pic.twitter.com/LhsNHxweKc
It’s clear from these combine numbers that Walker is a plus athlete. His explosiveness shows up in his testing numbers and resulted in an “elite” RAS score. His 10-yard split time was ranked in the back half of the WR group, but that tells us he’s a long strider who has build-up speed. His start and stop skills aren’t elite, but when he gets the train rolling he’s a true deep threat.
Pros
- Extreme build-up speed makes him hard to cover down the field
- Understands how to stack defenders to create separation on go routes
- Long and lanky build enables him to have a large catch radius
Cons
- Short-area quickness is average
- Getting in and out of breaks looks labored at times
- Might have a limited route tree and deep-threat role within an NFL offense
Highlights
Seam Route
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On the above rep, Walker did a nice job of weaving through traffic without breaking his stride. This throw was put on the money but it was a tough contested catch with a defender on his back and another coming in for the hit from the front. Walker’s speed up the seam and long arms at the catch point were useful in making this TD.
Senior Bowl 1-on-1
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Walker made this red zone 1-on-1 look easy. Granted, 1-on-1s greatly favor the WR, but Walker did a nice job of setting up the DB with an inside jab to create separation on the outside.
Go route
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You can see Walker’s long strides create separation about halfway through the route. Once Walker got behind the DB he worked back ever so slightly to the inside to “stack” the DB and create space for the throw outside.
How Walker fits with the Bills
Tez Walker would likely be in a Gabe Davis-type of role with the Bills. When he can use his long strides to get separation down the field, Walker will be a dangerous deep threat. His route tree would mainly consist of go routes, corners, posts, and deep over routes.
Walker would add an exciting explosive element to the Bills’ passing game but he likely wouldn’t fill the prototypical “WR1” role playing for the Buffalo Bills.