Every Dog Has Its Day – Especially No. 1 Picks Walker, Wyatt
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers drafted Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Quay Walker in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.
During the middle of Walker’s introductory Zoom call with beat reporters, the Packers used their other first-round choice on his Georgia teammate, defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt.
“We picked Devonte Wyatt? Oh, man, crazy,” Walker said. “It’s a reunion. Oh, man. That’s crazy. Oh, man. I can’t even really even say nothing. I’m probably fixing to cry again, but I don’t cry so much I can’t cry anymore. That’s crazy. D-Wy. Crazy. Three Georgia boys.”
The third of those Georgia boys was last year’s first-round pick, cornerback Eric Stokes. They talked about an hour before Walker was drafted.
“He sent me some cheese,” Walker said.
Perfect.
Georgia won a national championship behind its juggernaut defense, and it won the first round of the NFL Draft. An incredible five members of the Bulldogs’ defense were drafted in the opening round: edge Travon Walker to Jacksonville at No. 1, defensive tackle Jordan Davis to Philadelphia at No. 13, Walker to Green Bay at No. 22, Wyatt to Green Bay at No. 28 and safety Louis Cine to Minnesota at No. 32.
“It’s amazing because you've never seen that much talent on one team, definitely on the defense,” Wyatt said.
He’s right about that. The defense was so loaded that linebacker Channing Tindall, who never started a game for the Bulldogs, could be drafted on Friday. Being on a roster loaded with high recruits made everyone play better, Walker said.
“It brought the best out of me because there’s a lot of guys that are good. For us, it was always a race to the ball,” Walker said.
It was the most defenders from one school in the opening round of a draft since at least 1967 – the first year of a common NFL-AFL Draft – and perhaps ever.
“Obviously, they were two of many on that defense,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the end of the night. “You saw a ton of them go tonight and there’s more coming in the next few drafts. So, they were a couple of many. The two things with these two particular players, and obviously they’re different, but their speed and explosiveness is off the charts. And I think their ability to create havoc in the run game and in the passing game, just the all-around nature of those players, was something that really drew us to them.”
Statistically, the newest members of the Packers’ defense won’t blow anyone away. Walker had 67 tackles, including 5.5 for losses, as a senior. He went four years without causing a turnover and didn’t earn any all-conference honors. Wyatt had 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for losses among his 39 tackles as a senior. He was first-team all-SEC.
What is impressive is their startling athleticism. At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, Walker ran his 40 in 4.52 seconds. At 6-foot-2 7/8 and 304 pounds, Wyatt ran his 40 in 4.77 seconds. That made him the fastest defensive lineman in the draft.
“When we were training for the 40 at Arizona, they had put me and Jordan Davis out the big-man group and moved us with the linebackers,” Wyatt said. “And that's how I knew I was fast, because our numbers were way lower than offensive linemen and the defensive linemen.”
By Relative Athletic Score, Walker scored a 9.67 on a 0-to-10 scale while Walker scored a 9.60.
“I just think I’m a hard-nosed guy,” Walker said. “I’m a guy you want on your defense. Of course, you know, I’m big and I’m fast but, at the same time, I feel like I’m trying to challenge myself to become smarter. So, playing alongside De’Vondre Campbell, that’ll be pretty good so I can soak up all the game. Other than that, I’m not bragging on myself, but there’s a whole lot that I bring to the table that I can get better at. It’s nothing that I can’t get better at.”
Last season, the Packers finished ninth in the NFL in total defense. Since dominating the 49ers in the playoff loss. Gutekunst has re-signed Campbell and cornerback Rasul Douglas, added veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed, and now drafted two high-octane defenders. The offense, following the trade of Davante Adams and the lack of receivers taken in the first round, isn’t as good. The defense, however, could be superb.
Wyatt is joining Pro Bowler Kenny Clark, veterans Dean Lowry and Reed, and second-year player TJ Slaton. And Walker will join the All-Pro Campbell to provide a potentially superb pairing and give coordinator Joe Barry the flexibility to play with more traditional defensive fronts rather than relying on extra defensive backs.
Said Gutekunst: “I think adding two players of this – and again they’re going to have to come in and prove it, they’re rookies in the NFL and they haven’t done anything – but I think certainly they’re two talented kids. I think adding two players of this talent to your front seven, to an already really good group, we’re fired up about that.”
