It’s the kind of play that earns you a spot on the 53-man roster. Even in just one preseason game, that’s the kind of impression Baltimore Ravens rookie LaJohntay Wester made in a 24-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Wester, a sixth round pick (No. 203 overall) out of Colorado, stole the show in his team’s preseason opener with an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter with a weaving, highlight reel play that seemed ripped from the 1990s era highlight reel of his college head coach, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
“I’m just … it’s exciting to watch happen,” Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy told the NFL Network after he watched Wester’s touchdown from the sidelines with a group of other starters who weren’t in action, including quarterback Lamar Jackson. “That’s putting on for his home state of Florida right there. He’s putting on for Broward County.”
Wester, who actually hails Palmetto, in Manatee County, very much did put on in his first NFL game action and did so as one of the smallest players on the field at just 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds.
Against the Colts, Wester had 145 all-purpose yards, including 2 receptions for 41 yards.
Betting On Himself With Transfer to Colorado
Wester bet big on himself when he transferred to Colorado after 3 outstanding seasons at Florida Atlantic.
With the Owls, he was an AP All-American and the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023 with 1,520 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns. That included 108 receptions for 1,168 yards and 8 touchdowns and 308 return yards and 1 punt return touchdown.
In order to get a chance to play against Power Four competition, Wester spent his final year of eligibility playing for Sanders and the Buffs, where he had 74 receptions for 931 yards and 11 total touchdowns. That was 10 touchdown receptions and another punt punt return for a score.
He also got to catch passes from future Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and playing opposite 2025 NFL draft No. 2 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who also won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver and the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player.
Wester’s signature moment of the season came on a 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown reception from Sanders to tie the game against Baylor as time expired in regulation on the way to an overtime win for Colorado.
He was named All-Big 12 for his efforts and ended his college career by catching a pass in 50 consecutive games.
Wester Makes Definitive Statement at Combine
Wester went to the NFL combine and tried to erase most of the doubts about his size by running the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and registering a broad jump over 10 feet and a 32-inch vertical leap.
Even with that performance, venerated NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein still had Wester projected as a seventh round pick or priority free agent.
“Undersized slot target with good speed and above-average production,” Zierlein wrote before the draft. “Wester is built for longer routes with softer angles, allowing him to build separation … Coloradoâs scheme and surrounding talent created some easier looks for Wester, but his big-play potential from the slot and as a punt returner should give him a chance to make a roster.”
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