Seahawks Draft Profile: Rasheed Walker

Facing several elite pass-rushing prospects along the way, Walker cut his teeth playing in the rugged Big Ten as a three-year starter at Penn State, making him an intriguing option for Seattle to consider as the team reloads at the tackle positions.

With the 2022 NFL Draft set to kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, the Seahawks will have a chance to kickstart a new era for the franchise with eight selections, including a top-10 pick and four picks total in the first three rounds.

Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, the AllSeahawks writing staff will dish out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board.

Next up in the series, Rasheed Walker enters this year's draft as one of the most experienced tackles in his class. Could he be the heir apparent to Duane Brown or a long-term starting option at right tackle for Seattle? 

Background

A four-year letterman at North Point High School in Maryland, Walker starred as an offensive and defensive lineman, receiving an invite to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2017. After committing to Penn State, he played in four games as a true freshman, but he was still able to redshirt due to limited snaps. As a redshirt freshman, he moved into the starting lineup at left tackle, a role he wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of his time on campus. Starting 32 games in his final three years with the Nittany Lions, he earned Third-Team All-Big Ten recognition twice.

Strengths

Displaying light feet at 325 pounds, Walker mirrors rushers well and changes direction quite well for a player of his size, allowing him to hold up well against speed rushes as well as twists and stunts. Even when he gets beat upfield, he often finds ways to get hands into the rusher and wash him away from the quarterback.

Built with a thick lower body, Walker rarely loses a one-on-one battle in pass protection working against bull rushes, setting a firm anchor with concrete and preventing defenders from driving him back into the pocket. When his hand placement is sufficient and he doesn't start with hands too low in his pass set, he locks onto rushers and limits their ability to disengage with counters.

While his aggressiveness seems to come and go at times on film and he doesn't consistently knock defenders off the line of scrimmage, Walker has flashes of a mean streak as a run blocker and excels at finishing blocks, regularly driving defenders into the turf. He's a capable redirect blocker who moves well enough laterally to cut off defenders on zone runs and seal them to create a crease for the running back.

Walker proved to be hit-and-miss when asked to block on screens and will need to sharpen that aspect of his game, but he typically takes good angles to the second level as a run blocker when working off combos or directly attacking linebackers and safeties. His athleticism can be seen operating in space and he adjusts his target angle effectively.

Weaknesses

In terms of range out of his pass sets, Walker battled his share of issues dealing with fast rushers in his three seasons as a starter. He gets caught leaning on his outside foot far too often and balance issues may be the biggest flaw in his game overall. Opponents regularly capitalized on poor body position, leading to too many plays where he ended up on the ground watching rushers hit the quarterback.

Often caught lunging and with his arms overextended at the point of attack by talented Big Ten rushers, Walker got exploited with a wide array of inside counters, including rip, chop, and swim moves. Specifically, Aiden Hutchinson ate him alive in a loss to Michigan last year, and things could have been worse if officials would have flagged him for getting too grabby as the defender worked past his block.

Hand technique remains an area that will need to be coached up both in pass protection and run blocking. When his placement is on point, he has the power to drive defenders off the ball, but he lands with his hands too wide or off the mark too frequently. In his sets, he needs to work on getting his hands up quicker and being more precise with his strikes.

Fit in Seattle

Few tackles in this year's class have more starts under their belt against top-flight competition than Walker, who has gone to battle against Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Commanders star Chase Young in Big Ten play. On the practice field, he was tested by 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos, and incoming draft prospect Arnold Ebiketie.

While some question whether or not Walker can play left tackle in the NFL, many of his flaws seem fixable with proper coaching and his athleticism can be seen in several avenues of his game. Given his ample experience pitting his talents against multiple future top-10 draft picks at the college level, he shouldn't be star-struck playing under the lights in the NFL.

With the Seahawks desperate for help at both tackle spots, depending on whether or not Brown or Brandon Shell returns, Walker could compete to start at either position right away against the likes of Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan and likely will be selected at some point in the second or third round on day two.

Previous Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles

Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State | Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU | Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati | Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA | Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State | Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa | Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan | Abraham Lucas, T, Washington State | Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State | Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota | Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina | Cade Otton, TE, Washington