Broncos Land Georgia LB Quay Walker in PFF's Two-Round Mock Draft
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If the Denver Broncos still had a first-round pick, burning a top-32 draft choice on linebacker should be met with skepticism given the current economics of the position. However, at pick 64, the Broncos are in the perfect range to consider drafting a linebacker if one they covet falls.
In a recent two-round mock from Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash, the Broncos do just that, selecting one of the most intriguing linebackers in the entire draft class from the national-champion Georgia Bulldogs’ defense — no, not Nakobe Dean, but his linebacker running mate Quay Walker.
Walker is so good at wrapping defenders up with his near 80-inch wingspan. Throughout his collegiate career, he missed just seven tackles on 138 attempts.
The Georgia product’s length and overall physical profile gave him an advantage, but Walker' play strength was sometimes exposed, and he was still more of a reactor than playmaker. This is a good bet for the linebacker-needy Broncos to make.
The Broncos also selected Walker in another recent two-round mock draft, this time by The Athletic's Nate Tice. Denver would be ecstatic to get the rangy Walker at this spot.
The Broncos have added some nice pieces on the defensive side this offseason, and Walker would fill a position of need they still have. He is a very good athlete with length who can pursue the ball from sideline to sideline. He also has intriguing upside as a pass defender.
While Nakobe Dean received the lion’s share of the attention this past season for Georgia’s defense, it will in all likelihood be Walker that is the first Georgia off-ball linebacker selected in the 2022 draft.
Not only does Walker possess the length (96th percentile wingspan) and athleticism teams will salivate over at the position over his teammate, but he also was tasked to play in space more than Dean at Georgia logging 134 slot coverage reps the last two years, doubling Dean's 64 slot reps.
The linebacker position has become devalued in the modern NFL. While teams still should be looking for great players at the position and every spot on the roster, the linebacker position in today’s league has become an area where smart organizations bide their time in round one and pick from the remaining talent on Day 2 and Day 3 in the NFL draft.
As was recently laid out by Mile High Huddle's Emmett Smith, and confirmed during Broncos' GM George Paton's pre-draft presser, it’s a 'space' league today, and while teams want long and fluid players at the position, the most important thing is processing and instincts with athletic traits coming second. Perhaps prioritizing athleticism over intelligence and intangibles is a reason that no position has busted more than the first-round linebacker in recent draft history.
The Broncos do not necessarily need a linebacker at pick 64 given the current value and abundance of finding starting-caliber players at the position in the NFL, but Walker has the traits to be much more than simply starting quality. It shouldn’t shock anyone if Quay winds up a first-round pick when it’s all said and done.
Thus, landing him at pick 64 regardless of positional value is something Broncos Country should get excited about if this reality comes to fruition later this week.
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