Patriots draft profile: Devontez Walker could come as a package deal

Walker would help address the Patriots’ issues at X-receiver.

The New England Patriots are in the process of overhauling their entire offensive operation, starting at the quarterback position. Who they will select at No. 3 overall — if they decide to go QB in the first place, that is — remains to be seen, but North Carolina’s Drake Maye is currently believed to be very high of not at the top of their board.

If the Patriots indeed pick Maye in Round 1, they might look at one of this teammates later in the draft to address another need of theirs: wide receiver. That teammate is Devontez Walker.

Hard facts

Name: Devontez Walker

Position: Wide receiver

School: North Carolina

Opening day age: 22 (6/19/2001)

Measurements: 6’1 1/2”, 193 lbs, 79 1/8” wingspan, 33 1/4” arm length, 9 1/8” hand size, 4.36 40-yard dash, 40.5” vertical jump, 11’2” broad jump, 9.91 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 28 games (18 starts) | 1,395 offensive snaps, 4 special teams snaps | 168 targets, 104 catches (61.9%), 1,744 yards, 19 TDs | 6 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD | 2 fumbles | 1 kickoff return, 2 yards

Accolades: First-team All-MAC (2022), Third-team All-MAC (2023)

A two-way player at West Charlotte High School in his North Carolina hometown, Walker flew under the radar entering the college level. He started out at North Carolina Central in 2020 but left the school again after what would have been his freshman season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He transferred to Kent State, where he made his debut in September 2021.

In two seasons as a Golden Flash, Walker appeared in 20 games with 12 starts. He registered 63 receptions for 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns during that time, with most of that production coming during his 2022 sophomore campaign. Despite his success, however, he decided to transfer again following the departure of head coach Sean Lewis.

Walker returned home to North Carolina, but was initially deemed ineligible for the 2023 season. After missing the first four games of the season, he was reinstated and quickly delivered another productive season: as Drake Maye’s top target, he saw action in eight games and finished the season with 41 catches for 699 yards and seven scores. He then opted to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the draft alongside his quarterback.

Draft profile

Expected round: 3-4 | Consensus big board: No. 74

Strengths: Any discussion about Walker needs to start with his athletic profile, because it is highly intriguing. A big bodied receiver at just under 6-foot-2, he also is a speedster whose 4.36 40-yard dash measured at the Scouting Combine makes him a 91-percentile wide receiver prospect. His vertical and broad jump numbers, meanwhile, are in the 93 and 97 percentile, respectively, and indicative of a player with significant upside.

Of course, being athletic and being a good football player are not necessarily the same thing. Being able to use those traits is the key, and Walker has shown just that during his final year at Kent State and last season at North Carolina.

He is a legitimate vertical threat, who offers both the explosion out of his stance plus the long-range speed to get behind defenses. He knows how to stack defenders and exploit their blind spots, doesn’t lose too much speed through the stem of his routes, and has impressive hand-eye coordination and the ability to adjust his body properly in order to adjust his body on the fly and reel in passes even in close quarters.

Weaknesses: While he does have undeniable skill, Walker is a rather raw player who might have benefitted from another year at the college level. He is not as technically proficient as other players in this class, with his footwork at times sloppy — he tends to do too much while attempting cuts — and his routes imprecise and of an inconsistent speed.

In general, his route tree does not have enough branches yet. While he has proven himself on vertical patterns as well as slants and intermediate crossers, he either has not been asked or has not been able to expand further. He has been good at what he does, but there are questions about that alone being enough to translate his game to the NFL. That is particularly true given that he faced limited press-man coverage in college and was on-and-off in that regard at the Senior Bowl.

In addition, Walker is not the most physical of players as a blocker and has had the occasional issue with drops. He was credited with a drop percentage of 6.8 during his lone season at UNC.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? A speedy and big-bodies perimeter target, Walker would be well-suited to take over as the Patriots’ new X-receiver. With the team not having a clear top option in that spot at the moment — a combination of Tyquan Thornton, K.J. Osborn and Jalen Reagor would probably fill that role if the season started tomorrow — he would be the first man up. Of course, given his developmental trajectory he likely would spend his rookie campaign as more of a rotational option.

What is his growth potential? Walker joining the Patriots and immediately becoming a starter-level receiver would be a pleasant surprise rather than something that should be expected. That said, the upside to reach those spheres certainly exists. In an ideal world, the 22-year-old would be a WR1-type player for New England by his sophomore season.

Does he have positional versatility? At the moment, Walker’s versatility is limited both on offense and in the kicking game. The hope, however, is that more experience in one system would allow him to not just develop as a player but also become more versatile along the way. He does have some promise as a player to succeed on jet sweeps or motion plays, for example.

Why the Patriots? While Drake Maye and Walker will likely never become the next Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, their familiarity with one another might make them an intriguing package deal in the draft. Add the fact that Walker would address one of the team’s biggest needs at the moment — perimeter receiver — and offers enticing upside, and you can see why the Patriots might be looking at him as a potential target.

Why not the Patriots? Needless to say, Walker is a project. He has the build and physical skill to become a starting wide receiver at the NFL level, but his game lacks nuance and technical refinement. Those will not come overnight, meaning that New England would have to be patient with him — patience the team might not be willing to invest with other more ready-made options available in this year’s draft.

One-sentence verdict: Walker has some promising traits and intriguing upside, but the Patriots would have to feel really good about his developmental outlook in order to bring him aboard at any point before Day 3.

What do you think about Devontez Walker as a potential Patriots target? Could he come aboard alongside Drake Maye? Or would other players be a better fit? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.