2020 NFL Draft: Week 1 senior prospect preview
By Dan Matney
Mykal Walker, EDGE Rusher, Fresno State
Walker is a little undersized for a typical NFL edge rushers standards at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. However, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have an NFL future.
He’s an explosive athlete coming off the edge that displays impressive first-step quickness. Walker has above average long speed and displays solid lateral agility and athletic balance.
Walker relies heavily on his speed to win a majority of his reps and he needs to work on converting that speed to power. He’s still developing his pass rush arsenal and needs to continue to develop his hand activity.
Walker tends to blend in with the scenery too often when he’s getting after the passer and needs to develop a counter move. He flashes ability looping to the interior and could create issues with his speed vs. some NFL guards.
He relies on his low center of gravity to make plays at the point-of-attack. Walker tends to be the low man and he flashes the ability to extend and free himself and close with good speed. He has long arms and can effectively wrap when he’s in the ball carrier’s area code.
Walker takes effective angles in pursuit and he does a nice job providing backside support and will stay with the play downfield.
The most intriguing thing about Walker is his flashes in coverage. He is typically used as an edge rusher but he has shown the ability to peel off in coverage to the flats against running backs, and he’s surprisingly fluid dropping into zone coverage.
Walker’s matchup against the Trojans provides him a chance to show he’s refined his game as a pass rusher, but the most interesting thing about his matchup is how much he’ll be utilized in coverage.
He’s flashed the traits to potentially fit as a SAM linebacker in a 43 defense at the next level, but it’d be nice to see him match up more in coverage. Given USC’s talent at the skill positions, it will be key to see how Walker fairs if he’s asked to drop into coverage.
If he can display skill in man coverage and playing the underneath zones he could fit for a position change at the next level, although the Bulldogs are likely counting on him to provide pressure off the edge.