Devale attended James Madison High School (New York) in Brooklyn where he played Football and Basketball in his senior year at Madison he lit up the Public School Athletic League he was in the top ten for catches made and in the top ten for touchdowns made by a wide receiver he also was in the PSAL all star game. He attended Hofstra University, where he was a teammate of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston.
He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Hofstra. Ellis finished his career with 176 catches for 2,207 yards (a 125 per-catch average) and 22 touchdowns.
As a senior in 2005, he led Hofstra with 74 receptions for 943 yards and five touchdowns.
He ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in receptions, third in receiving yards and ninth in all-purpose yards (1038 yards per game). As a junior, with Colston sidelined all season with an injury, Ellis led the team, ranked second in the Atlantic 10 and 11th in I-Associate of Arts with 74 catches, good for 1,067 yards (a 144 average) and 13 touchdowns.
Detroit Lions
He went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft, but was signed as a free agent after participating in the rookie mini-camp as a tryout player. He was signed to the Lions eight man practice squad on September 3, 2006.
Although he played in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on the September 9th, he was waived from the active roster on September 11, and shortly afterwards re-signed with the practice squad.
As of October 15, he has been upgraded to the active roster and made his first start against the Buffalo Bills. Ellis was waived by the Lions during final cuts on August 30, 2008. Cleveland Browns
After spending the 2008 regular season out of football, Ellis was signed to a future contract by the Cleveland Browns on December 31, 2008.
He was waived on July 26, 2009.
