Thrown into fast lane, Walter gets up to speed

“Because of that, I wasn’t able to do the Senior Bowl, combine, Pro Day, any of that stuff. I really was kind of an anomaly,’’ he said. “That is tough, because people in the NFL put so much emphasis on that process. That’s how they judge players.’’

Yet Raiders owner Al Davis has a unique judging method. With the reputation of being enamored with both size and speed - which is reflected in a variety of personnel decisions, most recently the first-round selection of speedy but unpolished receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey - he scooped up the 6-foot-6-inch Walter in the third round of the 2005 draft.

Four years in Oakland left Walter battered and in search of stability.

He didn’t play his rookie season, still recovering from shoulder surgery. The next season, he started eight games and was a punching bag to opposing defenses, absorbing 46 sacks while throwing three touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.

The following April, the Raiders selected quarterback-of-the-future JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall selection. Walter played in just three games after Russell’s arrival (one start), a time in which he asked the Raiders for his release. The wish wasn’t granted until this summer. “It was a long time coming,’’ he said.

His years with the Raiders were defined by constant change.

“I had four different head coaches in four years, three different offenses, five different offensive coordinators, and six or seven different play-callers. For a quarterback, when continuity is so important on the offensive side of the ball, we had none of that,’’ he said. “Needless to say, it was a very rough time, a time of adversity, for sure.’’