Draft Dreamer: David Walker

The NFL Combine concludes this weekend with free agency beginning shortly after. This is the chance for all teams to reset and for fans to renew their hopes. If you have followed my work,  you know this is my favorite time of year and it’s never too early to start breaking down NFL Draft prospects. This class is packed with players who will make an impact at the next level. I will cover each of them from the big dudes in the trenches to the erasers patrolling the secondary. Let's start with a prospect whom I noticed last year and whose name will begin to get popular during the draft process, outside linebacker David Walker of the Central Arkansas Bears.

The Background

David Walker was a defensive tackle for the Stuttgart Rice Birds in Stuttgart, Arkansas. As a junior, Walker was named Defensive Lineman of the Year after posting totals of 77 total tackles, 24 TFLs, seven sacks, one interception, eight PBUs, and one forced fumble. He was also a two-sport star where he shined on the court as well as the gridiron. As a recruit, Walker went unranked and received no offers. He would choose to attend Southern Arkansas and continue his football career. Looking back, this was the correct move for Walker that has helped him become the star he is today.

Walker played just one season for Muleriders of Southern Arkansas (21’) where his rise to stardom began. In 11 games for the Muleriders, Walker recorded 52 total tackles, 34 solo tackles, 65.3% solo tackle rate, 19½ TFLs, eight sacks, and one fumble recovery. Walker also posted four games with seven or more tackles and five games with two or more TFLs. He led the GAC in both TFLs & sacks, with his 1.4 TFL per game average ranked 25th in the nation in Div-II. He would be named Southern Arkansas’ Defensive Player of the year and to the All-GAC 2nd team as a true-freshman. Having just dominated at the Div-II level, Walker pursued better options and entered the transfer portal.

He would land with the Central Arkansas Bears whom he would play the next three seasons (22’-24’) for. As a sophomore Walker would continue his reign of dominance, earning All-American honors after being named the ASUN Defensive Player of the year and to the All-ASUN 1st Team. Walker would also be named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the Top Defensive Player at the FCS level. He would play and start all eleven games at defensive end for the Bears, with totals of 66 tackles, 36 solo tackles, 54.5% solo tackle rate, 22 TFLs, 12 sacks, one forced fumble, and one PBU.  Walker would record seven games with six or more tackles and his TFL and sack totals led the ASUN Conference.

Walker would follow up with a great junior season for the Bears, where he would play and start all eleven games for the Bears. He would kick off the season with a monster game versus FBS Oklahoma State with an eight tackle, six solo, 1½ TFL, ½ sack, and one PBU performance. He finished the season with a stat line of 57 total tackles, 33 solo tackles, 57.8% solo tackle rate, 18 TFLs, 8½ sacks, one forced fumble, and one PBU. Walker would finish ranked in the Top 20 nationally (FCS level) in both TFLs (8th) and sacks (20th), while breaking the school record for TFLs in a game with 6½ versus Tarleton State. He would earn his third consecutive All-American honor and the inaugural United Athletic Conference (UAC) Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and a first-team All-UAC selection.

As a senior, Walker would save his best for last for the Bears, he would play & start all eleven games (33 consecutive starts) while setting career highs in nearly every category. His box score for the season consisted of 68 total tackles, 45 solo tackles, 66.1% solo tackle rate, 23 TFLs, 10½ sacks, four forced fumbles, and six PBUs. Walker had seven games with six plus tackles, seven with two plus TFLs, four with three plus TFLs, and three games with two plus sacks. His season was crowned by winning the Buck Buchanan Award given to the Top Defensive Player at the FCS level. Walker would also earn his 4th All-American honor and his third consecutive conference Defensive Player of the Year Award.

When it comes to career stats, you will be hard pressed to find any player who has produced at the elite level that Walker has the past four years. He finished his college career with 45 games played and started, 243 total tackles, 5.4 tackles per game, 148 solo tackles, 60.9% solo tackle rate, 82½ TFLs, 39 sacks, eight PBUs, six forced fumbles, and one recovery. Walker a 4X All-American & Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and one national Defensive Player of the Year. Walker improved every year and dominated at every stage of his collegiate career.

Player Breakdown

Walker officially measured 6’2”/263 lbs and tested really well at the NFL Combine. A highly decorated EDGE at the FCS level who has the production to back it up. While he’s a tad on the smaller side, that hasn’t been an issue throughout his career. Walker is a bit of a tweener who can play both on the edge or the interior, and play both effectively. A matchup type of player that NFL teams are going to love. Walker has an explosive and powerful lower body who can routinely win leverage and anchor point situations. He has good instincts as a pass rusher with an above average tool box. Likes to use a polished bull rush move and get OTs reeling. Walker attacks with a plan and a purpose and does a good job of setting up his counter and or secondary moves. 

He has short arms, so his length suffers, but has nice hand work and placement to thwart off blockers from locking on. Walker is a physical player with good change of direction movements and can create speed to power. Walker uses good burst and an advanced toolbox of moves to routinely attack runners behind the line of scrimmage. He’s a little smaller than you would like at the position and he’ll be making a big jump in competition. Walker plays with a chip and a very high motor, which stands out when he’s pursuing from the back side. Despite height limitations, he has shown the ability to get hands up and affect passing lanes.

NFL & Fantasy Projection

Walker had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl where he really gained attention on NFL radars. Now with a strong showing at the Combine, teams will go back and dig deeper into Walker’s potential. This is a really deep defensive line (EDGE/DT) class and his jump from the FCS will be hurting factors, so I don’t expect him to get drafted high. Walker is a day three selection being drafted somewhere in the 4th to 5th rounds. Teams looking for a versatile high motor player that they can take advantage of matchups with, will love what they see on his game film. He’s best suited for 3-4 schemes and played out wide in college where he can utilize his speed and power to force OTs to be quick and come to him. Walker will be a really good rotational piece with starting upside.

The fantasy game part of football is always different in how we look at things, especially value when it comes to the draft. Walker won’t be on a lot of fantasy managers radars, but he damn well should be. He’s one of my favorite sleepers in this draft class and I expect him to be an impact player sooner rather than later. With that said, there shouldn’t be a need to overreach when drafting Walker. He should be available in the latter rounds where you can use a flyer on him and stash him away on your taxi squads. Can’t wait to see where he lands and what the potential with that team will be.

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy