One of Tyrunn Walker’s goals growing up was to play professional sports, whether it was football or basketball.

But never could he have imagined that he would be playing for the home team, so to speak.

“I could never imagine that,” he said.

But after signing a free-agent deal with the New Orleans Saints and going through summer camps, rookie camps, six weeks of preseason and five preseason games, Walker was ready to see if he had done enough to merit a spot on the Saints 2012 roster

When he got the news that he made the roster, Walker felt that a dream had come true.

“It’s awesome. It’s great,” said Walker. “It’s the home team. I’m close to home. I’m doing something that I love to do and I’m getting paid for it.”

Despite not being on the active roster for the Saints’ opener last week against the Washington Redskins, Walker feels as though he’s living the dream and that his time to play will come.

To have a chance to play with the home team and the great organization I’m playing with and the great players I’m playing with is incredible,” said Walker. “It’s a chance to go out in my rookie year with a chance to win the Super Bowl in New Orleans.”

Walker’s chance came after his eligibility at the University of Tulsa expired last year.

The Saints invited him to a workout where the team said it liked him and how he played. And after working out for the Saints, Walker said that he felt at home with the team.

“I felt that it was a good organization for me,” said the former Westgate standout. “Being that I was so far away from home, it felt good that I was able to come back and play in front of the home crowd.”

Walker said training camp was hard — it was hot and it was a challenge. 

But he added that’s the way football is — you work hard, try to impress the coaches and try to get some playing time and become a starter while learning as much of the playbook as possible.

He played in all five preseason games for the Saints and said he made an impression on the coaches with how he played. Being in all five games allowed him to showcase his skills for the Saints staff.

“That’s why they chose me to stay on the 53-man roster,” said Walker, who fulfilled a dream when the coaches told him that he made the final cut and was on the team. “It was a dream come true. I tried not worry about the cuts too much.

“Sometimes it’s a numbers game and that’s something you can’t control. You just have to do your best. If you worry more about getting cut, you’re not showcasing your talent and not concentrating on what’s important.”

Now that he’s on the team, Walker is waiting for his opportunity to play.

Which, according to what Saints’ coaches have told him, could come at any moment and that he needs to be ready to play at a high level at a moment’s notice.

“It’s a 16-game season,” said Walker, who signed a three-year deal with the team. “It’s a long season and I know that my time will come. All I can do is go out and keep working and take full advantage of my time here and the opportunity to play when it comes.”