Inside the NFL Draft Journey of Small School Phenom David Wallis
What it Takes to Defy the Odds Chasing NFL Dreams
** It’s one thing to enter the NFL Draft from an FBS powerhouse like Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, or the University of Texas, having the luxury of a strong NFL Combine performance as the wind in your sails, but that wasn’t Randolph-Macon standout David Wallis’ journey.
This feature was published last spring, as a peak behind the curtain at the struggles small school prospects must navigate to get noticed, and how Wallis stood out to NFL coaches, and scouts, while competing against prospects from pedigree programs.
Wallis ultimately signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots, before being released after training camp. The 23-year-old also got a tryout with the New York Giants, during the season. Here is his story. **
It would have been easy for Division III wide receiver David Wallis, of Raldolph-Macon in Virginia, to be intimidated when he walked onto the field of the CGS Showcase ahead of this year’s NFL Draft.
After all, everywhere Wallis looked there were defensive backs wearing Texas A&M and Eastern Kentucky helmets.
Prospects with far more pedigree and big-time college football experience, who he’d be going up against just to get on the radar of NFL Scouts watching from the sidelines and on the bleachers.
“I was maybe the only D3 guy there,” Wallis told me by phone. “It was all DI Talent. You get there, you’re riding a wave of confidence, and you’re happy for the opportunity, but then you get there, and you might think that you might doubt yourself because you see so many guys who have the same dream. It becomes ‘why me, why am I going to be the one to stand out out of all these guys and make a big impact and get my name out there.’
“But, I never really had that kind of adversity where I didn’t think I’d make it, because I’m just that confident in myself. But, there’s been some times when I’ve doubted, ‘can I do it?’”
Wallis arrived that day in Fort Worth having put together a prolific 2023 season for the Yellow Jackets, catching 53 passes for 957 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“I went out to that showcase and I did really well,” Wallis says. “I won a lot of my one-on-one reps against DI defensive backs, and that’s when I kind of found out I can roll with these guys.
“That honestly gave me more confidence. It’s something that I thought potentially could ruin my confidence since you’re going to this showcase, you’re the small-school guy, and you’re going against all this talent. And, if anything, I kind of flipped it and it boosted my confidence. It propelled me to have some confidence going into my pro day, and some confidence going through this process.”
On the heels of an explosive season, and a performance at the showcase that turned heads against some of the top defensive backs in this year’s class, at least seven NFL teams have expressed interest in Wallis, and the CFL’s BC Lions have already added him to their negotiation list.
It’s easy to see why.
Across four seasons, Wallis averaged an explosive 21.5 yards per reception on 146 catches for 3,144 yards and 34 career touchdowns as one of the brightest diamonds in the rough across the nation at the DIII level.
Wallis, at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds ran a 4.40 40-yard dash and was clocked at a blazing 4.13 seconds in the shuttle.
“When you get those ‘can I do it’? thoughts,” Wallis explains. “You have to push them back and you have to fall back on your training. I train a lot, I work hard, I put in the effort it takes, I’m confident in my abilities.”
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During a lengthy conversation, Wallis opened up about what life is like as a small-school prospect aiming to get on the NFL’s radar screens and why he believes all it will take is his shot during a rookie camp to show he belongs.
Here is that conversation:
Take me through what this process has been like for you leading up to the NFL Draft, and trying to get your name, your film, and your game out there?
“It’s been somewhat new. I’m kind of naive to it all, being a small-school guy, it’s kind of hard. I always had in the back of my mind throughout my collegiate career, ‘Hey, I want to play at the next level.’
“But, being a small-school guy, sometimes that looks hard to attain, but I’ve never doubted that would happen because I believe in myself. My last two years at Randolph-Macon had some good success, had a lot of stats, we won a lot of games, went to the Final Four, one game away from the National Championship. I felt like I accomplished a lot and did what it takes to get my best shot.
“I went to a showcase, and had a pro day, it’s about doing every little thing that I can, taking advantage of every single opportunity, because I’m a small-school guy, my name isn’t really out there as much. Just taking advantage of every chance I can get to get my name out there, to show people what I’m capable of, and all about as a player and an individual. Now, it’s the waiting game until after the draft and hoping to get a call.”
What’s been the biggest difference between the process that you have had to go through versus maybe what some of the top prospects’ experiences are like?
“I definitely take notice of it. I’m on social media a lot. I’m a fan of college football, especially SEC ball, I’m a fan of these guys. I follow them on Instagram. I see their interviews on YouTube … I definitely see the difference.
“I see Malik Nabers and all of these receivers who have these big names, so they’re first-round talent, I see what they have to do; they train for that pro day, they run a good 40, they run some good routes, and that’s kind of it. Whereas, I have to do everything I can; go to this showcase, make sure you do well at this pro day, maybe try to get into multiple pro days, go to a CFL tryout, do everything you can. It’s just a little bit different. At the end of the day, we’re all just working to get to the NFL.”
You grew up in a military family, you moved around a lot, how did that upbringing prepare you for what it takes to excel on the football field and the rigors of going through this pre-draft process as a bit of an underdog?
“I think being a military brat has its ups and downs. One of those things that’s kind of a negative is that you move a lot. I went to three different high schools, lived in probably nine different states, a few different countries, I lived overseas, we were in Okinawa, Japan for a bit.
“You move around a lot. You make friends with a group of people and then you have to leave and you get stripped of that, you move to a new location, and you have to start all over and make new friends again. So, I guess where it helped me throughout my career is being adaptable. I’m really good at adapting. I feel like that’s really good in a team setting because I’m good at being an open person, I’m a good people person, I love the camaraderie, I love friendship, I love the family aspect of football.
“When you move around a lot as a kid, you have to learn how to adapt and make friends. I feel like once I started playing football, especially going to three different high schools, you think it would be hard, but sports kind of bring you together and you’re able to forge these friendships with your peers and your teammates. Being a military brat definitely helped me with fitting into a new environment, every time I get put into a new setting where someone might be uncomfortable, I feel like I’m more like a social chameleon.”
I know that you hold the Randolph-Macon record for receiving touchdowns in a career … What makes you such a threat in the red zone? How are you so effective when the field condenses like that?
“I feel like it’s kind of a mentality thing. When you run a fade ball or a slant, or anything in the red zone, especially, you kind of just need to want it more than the other guy.
“Sometimes it gets close, it’s confined in that area, and they throw you a fade ball, it becomes 50-50, they throw up a little prayer into the endzone, and you have to want to come down with it. I feel like that confidence, I’ve always wanted to be a big playmaker.
“I’ve always thought I was a really good seperator. I’m good at getting open, but even when I’m not open, I’ll swear up and down that I’m open. If you just throw it up there and give me a shot, I’m going to come down with that ball. Those red-zone things, it’s more of a mentality; whether you’re focusing in on your route or a 50-50 ball, it’s just who wants it more.”
You weren’t that heavily recruited coming out of high school, and now you’re trying to build a name for yourself leading up to the NFL Draft … How did that motivate you during your college career, and is it kind of that same mentality for you now getting ready for the draft?
"Yeah, for sure. Coming out of high school, this was my only offer. I didn’t even have any other DIII offers. I didn’t have even a JUCO offer. I kind of went into it with a chip on my shoulder, I walked into my college career kind of thinking ‘alright, no one wanted me, I’m going to make a name for myself with the school that did want me, and I’m going to stay with them.’
“There’s a lot of transfer portal stuff, I could have probably left, but I wanted to stay loyal to the team that gave me an opportunity. Having that chip on my shoulder, feeling not wanted coming into college, and now as a small-school guy, it’s not like there are a bunch of NFL teams out here begging for you, so you have to make a name for yourself. Having that chip on your shoulder teaches you some things, which maybe guys who have an easier or smoother road to the draft you might have an advantage over some of those guys.”
You ran a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash, which is pretty impressive at your position, what was your reaction to the time when you heard it from the guy holding the stopwatch?
"When they told me the time, I was upset. I was actually super upset because I thought I was a high 4.3 guy. I thought maybe I could have had a little better technique, I didn’t stay low, but I feel like I’m a ‘football-fast’ guy. If you put me on the field, I’m going to run right by the fastest of them, I don’t care what 40 they run.
“Honestly, I was slightly upset with my 40-time. If I had another chance, I’d definitely run it in those high 4.3s.”
If you were in front of an NFL Scout or a coach right now what would you hope they’re jotting down as your scouting report?
“As a football player, I’d hope they’d recognize my tracking ability. I know I’m a big deep-threat guy. That’s the hardest thing in football sometimes, that money-ball. You’re wide open, the quarterback sees it, you have to make that over-the-shoulder catch and you have to track the ball. It’s hard to do that running full speed.
“I feel like I’ve always had good tracking ability, which kind of plays into that X-factor ability, too. Being able to make plays, even if it wasn’t the cleanest, maybe the route wasn’t the best, maybe the release wasn’t the best, but hey, you’re going to get it done and when the ball gets in your hands you’re going to finish, make a play, and you’re going to get into the end zone. That’s what I hope people take from my film, that X-factor ability.
“Running that deep ball, people say ‘Oh you’re just running by guys,’ but it’s more than that. There’s tempo to it, you have to slow down, you have to speed up, you have to stem inside sometimes to make them think you’re going to run an in-breaking route but you pivot outside running full-speed. There are different things when it comes to that deep ball.
“I feel like I’m a good YAC guy, too. There’s some times in my film where I’ll catch a little five-yard hitch, or take a screen pass or a slant, and hey, I’m trying to go to the crib every time I have the ball in my hand. That’s my mentality. I hope people will see on my film.”
How about as a teammate? Because those meetings at the Combine, or Senior Bowl, or after those showcases where coaches really want to get to know you as a person, what do you hope their big takeaway is?
“I’d hope as a player and a teammate, personally, I’m really unselfish. I played on a team that was predominantly a running-the-ball team, we didn’t throw as much as I would like, but I didn’t care. As long as we’re getting the win, it is what it is.
“If I can contribute to that win in any way possible, whether it’s catching an 80-yard touchdown or blocking for an 80-yard touchdown because the running back broke through, I’ll take either/or. I work hard, too. If anyone watches me in practice, they’d know I’ve never taken a rep off. I go balls to the wall every single day because I feel like guys see that, they feed off that energy and it becomes ‘David’s going hard, so we have to go hard.’ That’s what I hope teams take away about me.”
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