No one player had a more rollercoaster of a season in 2023 than Tez Walker did. The former Kent State Golden Flash turned North Carolina Tar Heel had high expectations in 2023. The NCAA, however, had different plans for him.
With all of the uncertainty behind him, Walker is focused on the NFL. He projects as a fun receiver who can fit himself into the back end of round one. That landing spot would give him a chance to play with a talented quarterback and make an impact on day one.
When you watch Walker, you notice the size of which he plays. He uses it to win against defenders, and when he can’t physically dominate, he uses his speed. He was an enjoyable study. Here are our takeaways.
Player Profile
- School: North Carolina
- Year: Redshirt Sophomore (Third Year)
- Position: Wide Receiver
- Hometown (High School): Charlotte, North Carolina (West Charlotte HS)
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 200
College Career
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2021 | Kent State | MAC | FR | WR | 8 | 5 | 124 | 24.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 124 | 24.8 | 1 | |
| 2022 | Kent State | MAC | SO | 12 | 58 | 921 | 15.9 | 11 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 1 | 61 | 950 | 15.6 | 12 | |
| *2023 | North Carolina | ACC | SO | WR | 8 | 41 | 699 | 17.0 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 0 | 44 | 722 | 16.4 | 7 |
| Career | Overall | 104 | 1744 | 16.8 | 19 | 6 | 52 | 8.7 | 1 | 110 | 1796 | 16.3 | 20 | ||||
| Kent State | 63 | 1045 | 16.6 | 12 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 1 | 66 | 1074 | 16.3 | 13 | |||||
| North Carolina | 41 | 699 | 17.0 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 0 | 44 | 722 | 16.4 | 7 | |||||
Walker had one of the more unique paths to the NFL in the 2024 draft cycle. He enrolled at North Carolina Central in 2020, and as world history has taught us, things weren’t simple back then. The FCS season was canceled, so having never played a game for them, Walker transferred to Kent State.
Once Walker arrived at Kent State, he was immediately part of their high-powered passing attack. In his 2022 season, he saw his best success, which included an All-MAC selection. He secured 58 receptions for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns, and because of those numbers, he would find himself a hot commodity in the transfer portal in 2022.
Walker transferred back home to North Carolina to be a Tar Heel, but the NCAA stopped him from playing initially. After a battle against them, he could play in eight games and brought in 41 passes for 699 yards and seven touchdowns. It was never an easy path for Walker, but he is battle-tested for the NFL now.
Best Traits
Ball Tracking
Finishing my Tez Walker evaluation today. A long strider, deep threat who could be a solid pickup on late Day 2 of the #NFLDraft.
— Unnecessary Bluntness Owner/Coach/QB (@DuncOnDemand) January 17, 2024
Senior bowl will be huge for him to flash and answer questions about his skills
pic.twitter.com/mc8yTU90VR
Walker repeatedly looks the ball into his hands, especially when asked to stretch the field. Maye used him a lot downfield as a deep threat, making the shoulder catches just as easily as he did the routine ones across the middle. If he is paired with a less-than-ideal starting quarterback, look for him to use this trait right away to bail them out.
Contested Catches
Not often do deep threats have the ability to make contested catches due to them separating during their routes. Walker has done work across the middle and outside the hashes to demonstrate he can do this. He has the size to do this if an NFL team asks him to, not to mention the hands needed for it. He has strong hands and good physical traits; I couldn’t ask for anything more here.
Long Speed
Kent State WR Devontez Walker has 7 catches for 106 and a TD vs. Georgia.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) September 24, 2022
That Georgia. pic.twitter.com/CKqDcf6Ovn
Walker looks slow coming out of his stance at the line, even when running his route, but he separates and can finish off plays when he gets the ball. He could be a deep threat to a team with this trait while developing other areas. Speed covers up a lot of flaws in the NFL. Walker will have a learning curve, but this will be his cheat code.
Trait Needing Development
Burst/Release
Walker is a very explosive player with a skillset meant for the NFL. He has to work on his burst and release at the line of scrimmage. He gets out of his break when running routes in what appears to be a very slow movement style. The right wide receiver coach and his microwave ability to pick up speed during his route will correct that.
Player Summary
Walker was a production monster that the NCAA could only stop this year. He showed what he could do once he got into a game with Maye and this North Carolina offense. I like his skill set a lot, but the lack of playing time made him rusty at times this past year. He projects to me as a spot starter or rotation guy for now but has the promise to be a reliable number two for a team after a year or two of developing and working with a positions coach.
Projected Draft Capital: Late Round One, Early Round Two
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