Rookie cornerback Tray Walker hung his head low following the Ravens loss to the Redskins on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
After an up and down training camp where the rookie showed flashes of what could be with his impressive size, Walker, the soft-spoken standout out of Texas Southern didn’t exactly make the impression he wanted to on the Ravens coaching staff.
His 49 snaps played against the Redskins (most on defense), were perhaps the worst he’s had since the team selected him in the fourth-round of the 2015 draft. Responsible for two missed tackles and a few blown coverages, Walker understands the need to get better quickly with roster cuts looming. All teams need to trim their rosters to 75 by Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“It’s a lot,” responded Walker when asked about what he can learn from his performance. “Every game is a learning step. There are a few things I need to work on but we are going to go back to practice and execute those and get better everyday.”
“Every day you learn in football.”
Raw, but talented, Walker has the skills to be a successful corner in the NFL, something he exhibited during the College Gridiron game. The Ravens were so impressed with his ability to break up passes and interceptions during the collegiate all-star type game, they sent cornerback coach Matt Weiss to work him out.
Weiss came back to Baltimore with positive reviews.
“Obviously, his film at Texas Southern is not [against] great competition, and he’s a raw athlete,” said Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz. “But when you watch the workout – watch it on tape – you see all the skills plus the size, length and speed are the things that really intrigue you.”
Like rookies everywhere, adjusting to the speed of the league is first and foremost. Ask any of them and it’s the first thing they will tell when you ask about the hardest part of transitioning from college to the NFL. Playing confident isn’t easy.
“I just have got to get use to the game play,” remarked Walker when asked about his confidence level. “We’re three games into the preseason, I guarantee you by the first game my confidence will be higher than what you guys see on the field right now.”
While week one is still a few weeks away, whether or not Walker will be here remains to be seen but behind Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, Kyle Arrington and Rashaan Melvin, there is certainly a spot up for grabs.
The Ravens have a history of giving rookies time to adjust, however if the young corner suffers another poor performance against the Falcons in their preseason finale, his time may be up before it officially gets started in Baltimore.
(Credit to Turron Davenport for quotes)
Follow me on Twitter @sportguyRSR
