NFL Draft 2022 Scouting Report: OLB Quay Walker, Georgia

*Our LB grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

A Quay Walker scouting report could go on and on about how athletic he is and how he ‘looks’ like a very good player on tape. But everyone is already ‘for’ Quay Walker. You can find another fawning ‘great Georgia defender’ report anywhere. What you can’t find is someone in the mainstream suggesting that any of the 10-22 Georgia defenders drafted in 2022 are anything less than instantly good/future stars. So any ‘positive’ Walker scouting report is just another log thrown onto the fire… these Georgia defenders/draftees almost get lost in all the fawning scouting praise – but not all of them deserve it. They can’t possibly all hit big. Does Walker deserve the high praise?

It all comes down to two questions on Walker really – ‘how good a prospect is he?’ but more importantly ‘can he play interior linebacker in the NFL?’ Green Bay is planning on him being an ILB.

Well, short answer, ‘YES” Walker is a legit NFL athlete, a higher end athlete and ‘YES” I think he can play interior linebacker… he projects well for it, but it’s not a sure thing/bet that he hits it big as an ILB.

Just going by Walker’s tape from 2021…you can’t make an easy assumption that he’s a great NFL ILB in-waiting. He worked a lot as an OLB who rushed the backfield and dropped into coverage often – which he can, because he has upper-end movement skills. He moves laterally as well as any LB prospect you’ll find from this 2021 NFL Draft. When he did play snaps as a traditional interior linebacker for Georgia (maybe 50% or so of his time in key games), you could see the size and movement skills that project nicely to the NFL – if he can get the mental side of the ILB position in the NFL…and that’s not a guarantee.

Watching Walker in key SEC games – he moves really well all over the field…whether as a pass rusher, or dropping into coverage, or pursuing ballcarriers. He’s a possible ‘A’ grade movement skill linebacker for the NFL. He does seem to be a bit hesitant working in the interior, staying home and flushing out the run game linebacker type work – like he's a touch uncomfortable or non-instinctual at it, but he’s so fluid that what he lacks in initial instincts he makes up for with athleticism. He has all the ability to play ILB in the NFL…how good he’ll be is up to his ability to grasp the nuances and the coaching he’s given.

Worst case, if he flops as a purer ILB…you can move him to OLB in a 4-3 or even in the 3-4 as a pass rusher, blitzer who can also pursue the run and cover passes.

I don’t know if Walker will be a star or a quick study at ILB in the pros, but I do believe that he’ll find a position and be really good on defense, eventually. He’s just too athletic and gifted to fail. Whether he’s just ‘good’ or becomes ‘great’ is the debate. Floor is ‘good’, the ceiling is ‘great’.

There’s nothing off the field that makes me worry about Walker. He doesn’t seem like the swiftest mind I’ve come across, but he’s pleasant and unassuming and gives a good effort on all his plays on tape. I don’t see any major red flags anywhere entering the NFL. 

Quay Walker, Through the Lens of Our OLB Scouting Algorithm:

The downside fear on Walker is…he was never that productive, statistically, in college. Not top 10 in the SEC in anything in any season. Had some games with elevated tackle counts but not a big tackle accumulator. Looks good as a pass rusher, but 2.5 sacks in a season was his career high. Can flash into the backfield well but 5.5 TFLs was his career high. Can cover receivers, but only had 3 PDs as a career high in a season and no INTs in 37 career games.

But many/most of the Georgia guys underperformed statistically in 2021/their careers. I don’t know that it is the scarlet letter problem here. However, if Walker fails to be a big-time producer in the NFL, despite ‘starting’ – we can look back at his low production numbers and say ‘it tried to warn us’.

2022 NFL Combine/Measurables

6’3.6”/242, 9.75” hands, 32.63” arms

4.52 40-time, 2.64 20-yd, 1.59 10-yd

4.32 shuttle, 6.89 three-cone (Pro Day)

23 bench reps, 32” vertical, 10’2” broad jump

The Historical OLB Prospects to Whom Quay Walker Most Compares Within Our System:

Walker comps with past highly athletic OLB/ILB prospects who were pushed in the NFL to convert to ILB, because of the importance of the position – but most of these guys failed to be true/real ILBs. Will Walker be the next in line?

Also, most of these comp names were drafted later in the draft…because they didn’t go to ‘Georgia’ in 2021, so they didn’t have the special magical fairy dust sprinkled upon them.

I don’t know that Walker will be an NFL failure…but he might not live up to his draft stock/hype fully, in the end.

*A score of 8.00+ is where we see a stronger correlation of LBs going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system, and indicates a greater probability of becoming an NFL elite LB.

All of the LB ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.

Tackle-Strength Metrics = A combination of several physical and performance measurements. An attempt to classify the LB prospect's ability to stop the run, as well as a gauge of how physical the player is and the likelihood of higher tackle counts in the NFL. All based on profiles of LBs historically.

Speed-Agility Metrics = A combination of several speed, agility, and size measurements...as well as game performance data to profile a LB for speed/agility based on LBs historically. A unique measuring system to look for LBs that profile for quickness, pass-coverage ability, and general ability to cover more ground.

Pass Rush Metrics = A combination of the physical measurements, but also proven on-field ability to get to the QB/backfield in college.

2022 NFL Draft Outlook:

Walker as a laste-1st-round prospect…I get it. The upside is worth chasing. I don’t have a huge problem with the gamble.

If I were an NFL GM, I would not have paid up for the gamble on this – there are similar guys with the same athleticism and upside but who didn’t play for a top tier SEC team that I could take later in the draft. I’m not against Walker, but I don’t know that he warranted the #22 pick in the draft, though I do get the gamble.

NFL Outlook:   

Looks like Quay is going to start right away – so, that’s a positive. He’ll at least be given a chance to show and grow.

Floor = fails at ILB…goes on and becomes a solid, athletic, multi-faceted OLB.

Ceiling = becomes a Roquan Smith-type top 10 NFL ILB.