Packers Select LB Quay Walker with No. 22 Pick of First Round
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – After watching six receivers go off the board in the first 18 picks of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers drafted Georgia linebacker Quay Walker with the first of their first-round picks.
For years, the Packers did not prioritize the off-the-ball linebacker position. But, in a span of about two months, they re-signed All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell and now used their first-round pick on a tall, athletic prospect in hopes of forming a super-tandem.
Among the players the Packers bypassed were his Georgia teammate, receiver George Pickens.
Walker has an elite combination of size and speed. In fact, with Campbell, the Packers have two tall, long linebackers. The production didn’t match, though, with no turnover plays in 52 games (17 starts). In 15 starts last season, he broke up three passes – the first three breakups of his college career.
Here is the story on Walker.
Measureables: 6-3 3/4, 241. 32 5/8 arms. 4.52 40, 4.32 shuttle, 23 bench.
Analytical stats: A first-time starter as a senior, Walker had 1.5 sacks and 5.5 tackle for losses among his 67 tackles. He added the only three passes defensed of his 52-game career. According to Pro Football Focus, he was 75th in the draft class with 32 stops. A stop mirrors Green Bay's win/loss grading system. A first-and-10 tackle that limits the play to 3 yards, for instance, is a stop/win. A tackle that held that play to 4 years is not a stop/win. In the passing game, he allowed an 85.7 percent completion rate and 97.6 passer rating. Of 103 off-the-ball linebackers in the draft class with 579 snaps, he tied for fourth in missed-tackle percentage with only five misses (7 percent) last season, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Personal touch: When it was time to make his college decision official, Walker put on a Tennessee hat. Then, he chucked it across the room and unzipped his jacket to show his Georgia gear. It wasn’t one of his finest moments, he admits. “To be honest with you, I hate talking about it,” Walker said before the 2019 season kicked off. “But I know it’s going to be something that’s brought up the rest of my life, just about. Looking back on it, I think it was very immature of me doing that.”
Maturity isn’t an issue anymore. "He committed to being excellent and doing what he's supposed to off the field and on the field, became much more of a student of the game," coach Kirby Smart said. "He holds people accountable now and this is the guy who wouldn't do it. Now he's doing it all and it's pretty awesome to see how far he's come. I love watching players grow like that because I got to sit in his house for a long time and now getting to see a different person."
How did Walker get started in football? Here’s the story from his high school coach, Shelton Felton, via Dawg Nation: “We met when he was 15,” Felton said. “I saw him in the gym. He picked up a basketball, went full court and dunked it and everyone went crazy. I went and ran on the court to him. I asked him his name. He told me he was a basketball player. I told him that day ‘If you play football son you are going to be great’ and he believed in what I told him. He believed it and worked with it.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Walker's mind is advanced for a collegiate player and he regularly sees the play develop ahead of time. Pairing this attribute with his 4.52 40-yard dash speed makes him a tenacious run defender who is usually the first guy to the action. As Walker recognizes runs quickly and pounces on them, he can take on blockers so that Dean doesn't have to. At an official six-foot-four, 241 pounds and with 32 5'8" arms, Walker has the ideal size that NFL teams covet. This aids his ability to attack large offensive linemen, strike their chest and create a pile-up to negate rushing lanes.
