Marquise Walker - Professional Career

Professional Career

Scouts for the professional football teams described Walker as a "Big physical receiver, who uses his size to muscle the ball away from defenders...Lacks explosive speed, but has exceptional body control and balance." In another scouting report he was described as a "Striding-type runner who is not quick or sudden. Dominates average defensive backs but has a hard time getting separation vs. a good corner" In direct questioning during interviews, Walker confessed that he never had run a 40-yard dash and did not practice straight line speed. Thus, there was some consensus that he did not have the speed to play wide receiver in the National Football League and that he did not work on his speed. It was also said that he "Lacks soft hands and will do a lot of double-catching and body-catching. Has a lot of drops for a featured No. 1 receiver."

When Jon Gruden took over the head coaching job of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Tony Dungy, he made Walker his first draft selection in the 2002 NFL Draft with the 86th overall selection that came in the third round of the draft. Although Walker was property of the Buccaneers for the 2002 NFL season he did not appear in any games. Walker had been behind Keyshawn Johnson, Joe Jurevicius and Keenan McCardell on the Buccaneer 2002 depth chart. Then, he injured his ankle in August and was inactive for the first four games of the season. He was injured in September with torn ligaments in his thumb and had season ending surgery, which caused the Buccaneers to place him on injured reserve in October. Thus, he was not on the game roster for the Super Bowl XXXVII Champion Buccaneers. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for running back Thomas Jones prior to the 2003 NFL season after the Cardinals lost their top three wide receivers (including David Boston and Frank Sanders) to free agency. He was cut by the Cardinals on August 23, 2003 and picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals on August 25, 2003 who released him on August 27, 2003. The Tennessee Titans briefly placed him on their practice squad while trying to convert him to tight end later during the season, and the Miami Dolphins worked him out at different times during the season.

Walker, who had signed with the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in February prior to the 2004 NFL season for the league minimum $305,000, was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol for DUI with property damage or personal injury on July 18, 2004. Walker reportedly rear-ended another driver along Interstate 275 before veering onto the hard shoulder and colliding with two trees. Walker's blood-alcohol level was more than twice Florida's legal limit of .08 percent. Police reports estimated that Walker incurred $10,000 in damage to his rented 2004 Chevrolet sports utility vehicle, and the accident totaled the other driver's 1997 Mazda Coupe. Both the driver and passenger in the other car were treated at St. Joseph's Hospital. Walker was released by the Patriots on July 21, 2004, but the press releases made no formal connection between the arrest and his release. Of the more than 300 arrests and citations involving NFL players between 2000 and 2007 that were more serious than speeding tickets, Walker's is one of the approximately 13% that appear to have had no publicly announced legal resolution, but Walker had two more DUI arrests in 2006. Walker signed with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League to play wide receiver and linebacker for Predator head coach Jay Gruden during the 2006 Arena Football League season. Gruden was also an offensive assistant coach with the Super Bowl XXXVII champion Buccaneers. Walker was waived by the Predators, and he has yet to play in the Arena Football League.