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5 things to know about Packers’ first-round pick Quay Walker

The Green Bay Packers used the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Georgia linebacker Quay Walker, an athletic marvel who manned one of the linebacker spots for the national champions in 2021.

Like he did at Georgia, Walker will wear No. 7 for the Packers. He could be a rookie starter next to De’Vondre Campbell for Joe Barry’s defense in 2022.

Here are five interesting things to know about Walker, the Packers’ first-round pick:

Steady progression at an elite program

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is sacked by Georgia linebacker Quay Walker

Walker, a four-star recruit who played in the Under Armour All-American game before arriving in Athens, steadily rose through the program, earning Special Teams Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2018 and Defensive Most Improved in 2019 before playing extensively as a junior in 2020 and then starting all 15 games for the national champions in 2021. Walker had to wait his turn at a top program with an elite defense, but he made every step of the process worth it. He paid his dues, playing over 500 snaps on special teams before entering the starting lineup full-time. By his senior year, he was a top player on one of the best defenses in college football, positioning himself to become a first-round pick in the NFL draft.

Clone of De'Vondre Campbell?

Analysts saw it during the pre-draft process, and both Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur admitted Walker looks, moves and plays a lot like De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers’ All-Pro inside linebacker.

“I think, Quay, when you look at him, he looks similar to De’Vondre Campbell, they are almost clones of each other, minus the hair,” coach Matt LaFleur said, via Packers.com.

Walker and Campbell are roughly the same size (around 6-4, 240), with 4.5 speed and tremendous length. The Packers are hopeful that having two linebackers in Joe Barry’s scheme capable of chasing down the football and disrupting passing lanes will elevate the defense to a new level.

Excellent tackler

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Quay Walker (7)

Campbell was arguably the NFL’s best tackler last season, at least at the linebacker position. In Walker, the Packers are getting another sure-fire tackler who knows how to get people on the ground. According to Pro Football Focus, Walker missed only seven total tackles during his collegiate career despite playing well over 1,000 career snaps over 52 games. He missed just three tackles while playing 611 snaps last season. Walker had the third-highest tackle grade last season and entered the 2022 draft class with the lowest missed tackle percentage among linebackers. When Campbell and Walker get their hands on ball-carriers, expect tackles. Turns out, combining elite length and athleticism is a good way to create a tackling machine at linebacker.

Elite athlete

There’s no denying Walker’s athletic profile. Check out his Relative Athletic Score above. Among linebackers entering the NFL since 1987, he ranks in the 95th percentile for height, 97th percentile for 40-yard dash time and 93rd percentile for the three-cone drill. Size, speed, quickness. According to RAS, Walker finished in the 96th percentile and was the ninth-most athletic linebacker in the draft class. He was also fifth among off-ball linebackers in Speed Score, which factors in size. Running 4.52 at 241 pounds is impressive. The athleticism shows up on tape all the time. It doesn’t take long for him to get from Point A to B as a run defender or in coverage. And when he arrives at a blocker or ball-carrier, he brings length and power to the point of attack. His speed also shows up as a blitzer, which Georgia asked him to do frequently. The result was 25 pressures last season.

First since Hawk

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Walker became the first off-ball linebacker selected by the Packers in the first round since A.J. Hawk in 2006, ending a drought of 16 years. After years and years of putting a Band-Aid on the inside linebacker position, the Packers handed De’Vondre Campbell a $50 million deal and took Walker in the first round in the span of just weeks. This transformation was likely set in motion by how impactful Campbell was during his first season in Green Bay in 2021. Now, the Packers can stay in more traditional base and nickel packages on defense without worrying about the two linebacker spots in certain situations or having to bring on an extra defensive back to protect against the pass. Walker and Campbell are three-down players who should anchor the defense, maybe for years to come. This should be the best linebacker duo in Green Bay since Hawk and Desmond Bishop manned the middle for the Packers’ Super Bowl team in 2010.

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