Ravens rookie puts division rival on notice for not drafting him

When the Cincinnati Bengals were on the clock with the 80th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft back in April, Devontez Walker was confident his name was about to be called.

The Bengals had shown a lot of interest in the 23-year-old receiver during the pre-draft process, and they needed to add another pass-catcher with Tee Higgins’ future very much in question.

But instead, the Bengals took another receiver, Alabama’s Jermaine Burton. That sting has stuck with Walker, who went 33 picks later to the Ravens, and he's eager to get his crack at Baltimore when the two teams meet in Cincinnati on Oct. 6.

“I got a bone to pick with Cincy,” Walker said on the “The Lounge” podcast. “That’s where I thought I was going but they took another receiver at that spot. … Cincinnati, that game is going to get rough.”

Walker took the snub a little hard than most. He grew up modeling his game after former Bengals great A.J. Green, a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection who ranks second all-time in Bengals history in receptions (649), yards (9,430) and touchdowns (65).

“I thought it was going to be the Bengals; I thought it was going to be me,” Walker said. “I met with them the most pre-draft. … The Bills and the Bengals [are who] I had a real good feeling about, but the Ravens were not on my mind at all.”

Walker also disclosed that aside from a brief conversation with wide receivers coach Greg Lewis at the combine, he had the least amount of communication with the Ravens leading up to the draft, which is why his selection in the fourth round took him by surprise.