The moment Darrell Asberry saw Tray Walker play, he knew he had NFL potential.
“When I first met the young man, I said, ‘Son, you have a $1 million written all over you, and then some,’ ” Asberry said.
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Walker, who played for Asberry at Texas Southern and became a cornerback/special teams player for the Ravens, died Friday afternoon after suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle accident Thursday in Miami. He was 23.
“It’s a sad situation right now for the family and everyone that knows the young man,” Asberry said. “It’s tough on me because I’ve been a part of his life for the last three years.
“Our prayers go out to the family."
Asberry had a lot of faith Walker could make it to the NFL from the Division I-AA school because he has seen it happen before. Asberry, Walker's college coach from 2012-15, helped Rashard Anderson and Sylvester Morris become first-round picks out of Jackson State in the early 2000s.
Both Anderson and Morris were drafted No. 21 overall — Anderson in 2001 to the Panthers and Morris to the Chiefs in 2000 — and Asberry saw a lot of Anderson in Walker in his size, frame and attitude. He knew he’d follow them to the NFL.
And he did. The Ravens drafted Walker in the fourth round (No. 136) in 2015. He appeared in eight games for the Ravens on special teams.
After developing a strong relationship at Texas Southern, Asberry and Walker kept in touch on a weekly basis. Asberry would text encouragement to Walker — “proud of you, love you” — on occasion and Walker would pick up the phone to check in with his former coach or to vent or ask for advice. Asberry also counseled Walker after Walker's father, Tommy Lee Walker, died in November 2014. Walker dedicated his rookie season to his dad.
Asberry found out about Walker’s accident from former TSU player Jerome Thomas and was devastated. Asberry said his mother is “crazy” about Walker and she broke down when she heard the news. Asberry got in touch with the family after he learned of the accident.
“He’s a young man who always had a bright smile on his face,” Asberry said. “He was very competitive, he always had a competitive edge and competed every day in practice.
“Once he realized the potential he had, everything else just took off for him.”
