NFL Draft Profile: Walter Rouse, Offensive Lineman, Stanford Cardinal

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Stanford OT Walter Rouse

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#75
Pos: OT
Ht: 6052
Wt: 312
DOB: 03/09/
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD
High School: Sidwell Friends School
Eligibility: 2023

Walter Rouse
Stanford Cardinal

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One-Liner:

Although he boasts starting-caliber tools, Walter Rouse is severely limited by technical shortcomings. He will have to improve his hands and lower body before seeing an NFL field.

Evaluation:

Players stepping in for established starters due to injury are not typically expected to thrive. Walter Rouse, though, excelled in the starting left tackle role after first-stringer starter Walker Little’s 2019 season ended prematurely. The two-year starter’s appeal as a prospect is derived from his athletic tools. Specifically, Rouse’s game is primarily built around his natural power. The Stanford standout has a strong anchor and long arms to manage distance. He has the strength and flexibility to seal defenders out of gaps as a run blocker without giving up much ground. Further, he generally maintains a wide base and seems to understand pad level which enhances his strength. When Rouse initiates contact, he exhibits heavy hands and notable grip strength. The Cardinal starter also displays sufficient leg drive to complement his grip strength in pass protection or as a run blocker. Once latched on, he has the movement skills to mirror. This incorporation of physicality to complement and even improve his lateral agility allows him to handle defenders up the inside or outside tracks. The Washington DC native even boasts reasonable change of direction while engaged. What’s more, Rouse has the requisite movement skills to reach the second level or to pull and lead block. Despite his track record and experience, the Stanford star is an extremely raw prospect whose technical issues permeate every aspect of his game. Further, Rouse’s lack of nuance limits the efficacy his athletic traits can provide. First and foremost, the standout tackle employs poor accuracy and timing with his hands. He regularly shoots too high, wide and late. Similarly, he practices a looping motion with his initial punch. As a result, defenders get into Rouse’s chest and stack-shed, bench press or otherwise control him. Additionally, the experienced lineman tends to put his entire body behind his punches and allow his hands and feet to fall out of sync. While this increases his power on successful shots, it virtually precludes Rouse from recovering should he miss. In his pass sets, the Stanford standout tends to surrender a soft inside shoulder early. This leaves him vulnerable to power moves to that inside shoulder. Consequently, he tends to struggle against power rushers. Moreover, the talented tackle tends to bite on head fakes and can be beaten by hand moves thanks to his improper hand technique. He does not consistently remain engaged through speed counters and massively struggles in half-man engagement. As a result, he struggles against rushers who win with burst and flexibility. What’s more, Rouse displays inconsistent awareness and sometimes fails to recognize and address stunts or delayed blitzers. Finally, the Stanford blocker is likely a scheme-specific player who should be employed in a gap blocking offense. Players who see success in their true freshmen season are often placed under a microscope and burdened with enormous expectations. Walter Rouse’s debut campaign at Stanford resulted in premature first-round hype. That said, his poor technique and consequently inconsistent physical traits limit his projection. Rouse is a low-floor prospect with starter traits. 

Grade:

5th Round

Background:

Born on March ninth in Silver Spring, Maryland just outside of Washington D.C. to parents Hillary Lucas and Victor Rouse, Walter Rouse played his high school football at Sidwell Friends School. While there, he was named team captain twice while establishing himself as a force along the offensive line. Rouse was named to the 2017 All-USA Today D.C. second team and the 2017 DCSAA All-State Offensive Line. In 2018, he built upon those accomplishments by receiving the Sidwell Friends Coaches Award and All-Met Honorable Mention. He also was made the DCSAA All-State Offensive Line and All-USA Today D.C. first team. In recognition of his strong career, Rouse was invited to the Pro Football Hall of Fame World Bowl in Mexico City, Mexico. Similarly, he was nominated for the 2019 Big 33 Game. Rouse was also nominated for 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year. While at Sidwell Friends, he also competed in basketball and track and field. He was a two-time captain of the basketball team. After his final high school football season, Rouse was listed by 247Sports Composite Rankings as a three-star recruit. The same service named him the 470th-best recruit in the nation, the 37th-ranked offensive tackle in his class and the fourth-overall recruit in Washington D.C. Rouse was famously an early-impact player at Stanford. He stepped in to replace incumbent starter and future second-round pick Walker Little after a season-ending knee injury to the star tackle. The then-freshman started the next 11 games of his debut season. Rouse was just the third true freshman to start at left tackle for the Cardinal since 2000. In honor of his impressive season, the first-year starter was named to The Athletic’s Freshman All-America Second Team. In 2020, Rouse built upon his strong freshman campaign. He started all six games at left tackle for Stanford and received All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention from conference coaches. The Stanford standout is also accomplished off the field. Rouse was an Eagle Scout. Further, he attended the Perelman School of Medicine Medical and Surgical program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Physician Scientist Training Program: Biomedical Research Training at Southern Methodist University. Rouse’s grandfather, Walter V. Rouse, was a basketball All-American at Loyola University of Chicago. The Silver Spring native is a pescatarian. Rouse has not yet declared a major.