Jags WR Walker looking like a starter
July 31, 2008 4:39 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
Walker
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jerry Porter is on the shelf after hamstring surgery and Reggie Williams is scheduled for a knee scope tomorrow.
There was already ample room for Mike Walker to make a big impression, but while two of the Jaguars' top receivers are out of action, Walker can further enhance his reputation as a tough receiver who doesn't drop anything.
"He reminds me of Anquan Boldin from Arizona," said veteran cornerback Drayton Florence, who jumped to Jacksonville as a free agent from San Diego this offseason. "Same body type, style of play, physical build, he's got great hands. Just if he could get over those few nagging injuries he's got, he could easily be the first- or second-leading receiver on this team."
Walker was a third-round choice out of Central Florida in 2007. He missed all of his rookie season after reinjuring his left knee in the preseason.
"I'm trying to do my part, trying to keep up with the ones and be consistent, make plays every day, just picking up the load," he said. "Those are two big-time receivers who are not out there right now."
But Walker could well be in line to start no matter what's going on around him, provided his knee holds up. Some observers are rating Porter and Walker as the best tandem the team's had since the good old days with Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. If they are in the lineup, veteran Dennis Northcutt can be the slot receiver the team cast him as when he signed last year.
Walker's got the one trait coaches and quarterbacks might love above all else as a receiver: He doesn't drop balls.
"I was always taught the No. 1 thing, no matter if you mess up a route, if the ball is in the air, you've got to catch the ball, no matter what," he said. "That's what a receiver does. They say as long as you've got hands, you're always open. I pride myself on catching the ball."