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…
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