2022 NFL Draft Profiles: Does Penn State OL Rasheed Walker Make Sense For the Jaguars?

Should the Jaguars have serious interest in Rasheed Walker after three years of starting in Penn State's offense?

Author:
John Shipley
Publish date:
Apr 11, 2022 3:38 PM EDT

The 2022 NFL Draft season is upon us.

Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold 12 picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are entering a new era after the Urban Meyer tenure, making this draft as pivotal as one could imagine.

As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.

In our next prospect breakdown, we take a look at Penn State offensive lineman Rasheed Walker and what he could potentially bring to Jacksonville's offense.

Overview

One of the nation's top offensive line recruits out of high school, Walker was ranked a four-star prospect by 247Sports during the 2018 cycle. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 304 pounds entering college, Walker was ranked the No. 6 offensive tackle, No. 4 overall recruit in Maryland and No. 65 recruit overall.

Walker received a staggering 27 offers out of high school, ultimately opting to commit to Penn State over other schools such as Maryland, Ohio State, Arizona State, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Howard, Kentucky, LSU, Minnesota, NC State, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Rutgers, Toledo, Virginia, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.

Walker appeared in four games as a freshman before becoming a starter as a redshirt freshman. Walker started 13 games at left tackle in 2019 before starting another nine as a redshirt sophomore in 2020, earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. Walker then started 10 games as a redshirt junior, again earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors and being named a team captain.

Walker did miss the final three games of the 2021 season due to a knee injury, ending his three-year career as a starter with 32 starts under his belt, each coming at left tackle.

What Rasheed Walker Does Well

It isn't hard to see why some teams may be high on Rasheed Walker's potential. While he doesn't have the best overall control, technique or consistency, he is a long and thickly-built tackle who shows the foot speed to mirror quicker edge rushers while also having to strength to battle power rushers.

Walker's hands are like vice grips, especially in pass protection. He can completely stall the momentum of a pass rusher by getting good hand placement in the middle of their frame and then controlling them with his grip strength and overall dominating upperbody strength. He does a good job of stalling pass-rushers at the top of the arc while also redirecting them inside or even forcing them past arc and quarterback.

Walker has better feet than you would imagine simply looking at his frame, with his get-off being especially impressive. He has good explosion out of his sets and does a good job of getting vertical and keeping his but to the quarterback against speed rushers. He also has the overall flexibility to fire out of his stance to cut off wide pass rushers but still sink at the hips to anchor.

As a run-blocker, Walker shows impressive strength and finishing ability. He is able to consistently get movement on defensive tackles on down blocks, flashing the lower body drive and strength to force defenders out of gaps, which also appears frequently on double-team attempts.

How Rasheed Walker Would Fit With the Jaguars

It is clear that size and strength are two things the Jaguars place a major emphasis on at the offensive tackle position, and Walker has each of these in spades. He also had a good battle with Michigan edge rusher and potential No. 1 pick Aidan Hutchinson in 2021, which likely gave the Jaguars a good glimpse into his skill set.

While Walker fits what the Jaguars look for in offensive tackles, it is a bit tough to see him as a natural fit on the 2022 roster unless they move on from Jawaan Taylor. Walker played right tackle in high school and was a full-time left tackle in college, so he isn't a potential guard projection.

Instead, Walker is a tackle at the next level. If the Jaguars chose a tackle early in the draft, it would suggest they don't have high hopes in extending Cam Robinson and could see that rookie tackle as a potential replacement. Walker would fit as a left tackle who could develop for a year and then potentially start, but it is tough to envision the Jaguars spending a high pick on a backup.

If Walker had more positional versatility, this would be an easier projection to make. But at the end of the day, he is a left tackle prospect who could potentially play right tackle. At the end of the day, the Jaguars' bigger needs upfront are inside and not on the edge, at least for 20

Verdict

It is tough to envision where Walker would fit with the Jaguars, at least where he is likely to be drafted. With his physical tools and experience, Walker could hear his name called as early as the third round. The Jaguars don't have the kind of privilege to take a developmental tackle at No. 65 or No. 70 however, making Walker a bet they shouldn't take before Day 3.

For all of our 2022 NFL Draft profiles, click below.