All 49ers

The 49ers Hosted Defensive End David Walker on a Top 30 Visit

Walker is a three-down defensive end who's good against the run and the pass.
Grant Cohn|
Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; National team defensive lineman David Walker of Central Arkansas (33) works through drills during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; National team defensive lineman David Walker of Central Arkansas (33) works through drills during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

In this story:

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers seem smitten with Central Arkansas defensive end David Walker.

They got an up-close look at him at the Senior Bowl, and they invited him to their facility for a pre-draft visit according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. Walker is one of 30 players the 49ers elected to invite for an interview.

Walker is a three-down defensive end who's good against the run and the pass. He sets a strong edge-setter and he's a productive pass rusher. In three seasons at Central Arkansas, he recorded a whopping 30 sacks. So he's not a projection.

The knock on Walker is that he played at a small school and that he's short -- only 6'1". But he's 263 lbs and extremely powerful. And he performed quite well at the Senior Bowl for the National Team whose linebackers coach was 49ers defensive quality control coach K.J. Wright. So Walker's question marks might not phase the 49ers.

It seems Wright in particular liked what he saw from Walker -- why else would the 49ers bring in Walker for an official visit? I'm guessing he raved about him. And Wright could be in line to be the 49ers' next defensive coordinator once Robert Saleh becomes a head coach for the second time.

Walker currently is projected to get drafted in Round 3 or 4. Don't be surprised if the 49ers take him with their first third-round pick (no. 75). Which might seem like a reach. But if he's a Day 1 starter, he would be a tremendous value.

Read more

Published
Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

Share on XFollow grantcohn
Home/News