2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: LB Quay Walker, Georgia

We take a look at another linebacker from the Georgia all-world defense who has an intriguing mix of skills and promise.

Quay Walker, LB

Height: 6’4”
Weight: 240 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Georgia

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A former four-star recruit out of Crisp County High School in Cordele, Georgia, Walker was the sixth-ranked Georgian recruit and the second OLB in the 2018 cycle.

Walker waited his turn to shine on a talented Georgia defense that won the National Championship in 2021- his only year as a starter.

Notables

Walker only played more than 335 snaps in one of his four seasons. He had 65 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 25 pressures, and three passes defended during his senior season. Walker recorded 6 of those 25 pressures in the national title game against Alabama.

He finished his college career with 137 tackles, 11 for a loss, five sacks, 39 pressures, and three passes defended. Walker and Bulldogs teammate RB James Cook backed out of the Reese’s Senior Bowl after accepting invites to the event.

Strengths

• Ideal linebacker size, weight, length and athletic ability
• Linebackers who weigh 240-pounds shouldn’t have his movement skills
• Great foot-speed, lateral quickness, and change of direction to scrape over the top of trash
• Fluid, smooth, mover in space
• Does a solid overall job working through trash in front of him
• Excellent in pursuit downhill, quick trigger
• Quick to shed and keep OL away with length
• Has pop in his hands and violence in his shed
• Physical upon contact, great competitive toughness
• Wide tackle radius, good tackling mechanics (he can get wild when pursuing laterally)
• Sure tackler who can deliver bone-jarring hits or safe tackles depending on the context
• Can be over aggressive, but does well to see through zone stretch plays and take advantageous angles of pursuit to the ball carrier
• Good overall run defender; can penetrate and slip around blocks, can stack & shed, and is violently willing to get his nose dirty
• Has the traits to be excellent in coverage
• Had some nice plays in man coverage against tight ends up the seam
• Dangerous as a blitzing linebacker
• Has quick accelerating ability, and takes advantageous paths around much less athletic offensive lineman
• One of the main communicators pre-snap for the Bulldogs’ defense
• Versatile enough to play any LB position
• Three down potential with sideline to sideline range

View all of Nick Falato's draft prospect profiles right here / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Can Improve

• Plays with a high center of gravity
• He over pursues in a wild manner at times when he’s not boxing
• Can be over aggressive against the run
• The over-aggressive nature led to Walker being out of position when diagnosing wrongly
• Not a bad processor, but the quick trigger gets him in trouble
• Wasn’t consistent with his eyes in coverage (this can be fixed)
• One year of starting experience

Summary

Overall, Quay Walker isn’t discussed as much as some of his teammates, but I hope the Giants can find a way to snag him with one of their third-round selections. Not only does he have ideal size/speed attributes, but he also is a consistent tackler with the ability to affect the run, pass, and harass the quarterback. 

Walker is a high upside player whose floor isn’t too low; yes, he can be a bit overly aggressive at times, and he’s not very experienced, but he could be a steal in the draft if he slips. The way the NFL values second-level defenders with size/AA, I wouldn’t be shocked if Quay Walker goes well before many anticipate.

GRADE: 6.3

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