1/22. Quay Walker, LB, Georgia (6, 8): Judging from their draft, the Packers were focused on reinforcing an offensive line threatened by the departures of Lucas Patrick, Dennis Kelly and Turner, the November reconstructive knee surgery for Jenkins and the uncertainty regarding Bakhtiariās twice surgically-repaired knee.
The chances were excellent that if guard Zion Johnson or right tackle Trevor Penning had made it to No. 22, one of them would have been the Packersā pick. The Chargers chose Johnson at No. 17 before the Saints took Penning at No. 19.
In the end, the Packersā pick at No. 22 might have come down to inside linebacker Devin Lloyd, Devonte Wyatt or Walker.
Both Lloyd, who went No. 27 on a trade-up by the Jaguars, and Nakobe Dean (No. 83) finished well ahead of Walker in my linebacker poll of 17 scouts. A key factor in the vote was Deanās preeminent ability to wear the green dot (direct the defense) and Lloydās generally perceived ability to do so. Evaluators didnāt regard Walker as a green-dot candidate, at least not early in his career.
Walker, a one-year starter on the loaded defense at Georgia, is the best run-and-hit linebacker in the draft. As the scouting clichĆ© goes, heās hostile, mobile and agile. Heās also big (6-3 Ā½, 242), fast (4.52) and strong. He can play the run at him or play it sideline-to-sideline, rates as a strong tackler and is a hard worker, too.
The teams that werenāt as high on Walker focused on what they regarded as his questionable instincts. When compared to Dean, his partner as a stack backer for the Bulldogs, Walker has a slow trigger. He must improve his feel for the game, reduce his number of false steps and react faster, both in coverage and against the run.
His score of 9 on the Wonderlic test obviously raised a red flag for teams. They tended to associate it with the hesitation in his play. One club that did extensive work on Walker cited his inexperience at the position (17 starts) and insisted that his ability to learning wouldnāt be a problem. He was able to outrun some of his late reactions in the college game but that certainly will be harder to do in the NFL.
One evaluator drew a comparison between Walker and three recent first-round picks: Buffaloās Tremaine Edmunds (6-4 1/2, 251, 4.55, 22 Wonderlic), the No. 16 pick in 2018; Seattleās Jordyn Brooks (6-0, 240, 4.52, 10 Wonderlic), the No. 27 pick in 2020, and Washingtonās Jamin Davis (6-3 Ā½, 234, 4.47, 14 Wonderlic), the No. 19 pick in 2021.
Edmunds already has been to two Pro Bowls. After a so-so rookie season, Brooks led the NFL in solo tackles with 109 last season playing the weak side next to Mike linebacker Bobby Wagner. Davis started eight games on the weak side and had a rough rookie season.
Like the other three, Walker will need considerable refinement with the expectation that by his second or third season his performance level will take off. Heāll presumably replace third-year man Krys Barnes on the weak side opposite Campbell in the base and nickel defenses and the departed Henry Black in some subpackages, again next to Campbell. With Campbell making all the calls, Walker can just play.
Lloyd (6-3, 237, 4.68) doesnāt have Walkerās speed but tested better in the jumps and more than doubled his Wonderlic score (20). As the first-place finisher in my poll, Lloyd was more productive and instinctive than Walker.
Four picks after Walker, the Jets drafted edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. Two scouts indicated Johnson left them cold after the interview process, which accounted perhaps for why he lasted until No. 26.