April 29, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Former UCF wide receiver Mike Walker turned around to a living room full of nearly 50 family and friends, raised his fist to the air and with a big smile on his face uttered two simple words `It's Jacksonville.' After nearly 10 hours of waiting, Walker received the phone call he has worked for his entire life shortly after 10 p.m. as he learned the news that he would be the Jacksonville Jaguars' third-round pick at No. 79 in the NFL Draft on Saturday.
"This is a dream come true," Walker said following his selection. "This has been a crazy day, but it's been well worth it. As you can see I have a great family, probably the greatest in the world and to be able to share this with them is an awesome feeling. I'm speechless."
Walker became the 21st Knight to be selected in the NFL Draft and his third-round selection is the highest for a Knight since Travis Fisher went to the St. Louis Rams with the 32nd pick of the second round in 2002 (64th overall).
After setting the UCF single-season record for receptions in 2006 with 90 catches, Walker's stock had steadily-risen since the conclusion of the season. A 4.35 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February also helped erase any doubts of the lingering effects of an ACL injury that cost him the final two games of the 2005 campaign.
The Jaguars were one of several NFL teams represented at the UCF Pro Day on March 8th at the Nicholson Fieldhouse where Walker showed off his receiving skills, but the record-setting receiver was a little surprised Jacksonville would be his professional destination.
"I had a really good Pro Day," Walker stated. "I know (Jacksonville's) receiving coach (Todd Monken) was there and I felt like I impressed a lot of people, but I had not spoken to anyone from there since then.
"I was with a couple of my former teammates the other day and they told me if I was still left when Jacksonville was picking in the third round they were going to get me and that's what happened. It's crazy that I had not heard that yet and someone else had, but they got me and I'm very happy."
Walker is the fifth wide receiver Jacksonville has taken in the last four drafts. Walker makes it two straight years that a UCF receiver has gone in the top four rounds after Brandon Marshall was selected by Denver in 2006 (4th round, 119th overall).