The Green Bay Packers made 11 picks during the 2022 NFL draft: six offensive players and five defensive players. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be going through and reviewing the 2022 season for all of the Packers’ rookies.
First up: linebacker Quay Walker, the 22nd overall pick and the Packers’ first of two first-round draft picks in 2022:
Snap counts
Walker was on the field for 846 defensive snaps (nearly 82 percent) over 17 games and 16 starts. He also played 78 special teams snaps at just over 18 percent. In Week 1, Walker played only 68 percent of the defensive snaps, which was his lowest percentage of the season, not including his second-quarter ejection against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. Walker played at least 85 percent of the defensive snaps in 10 games as a rookie, including four games in which he played every single snap on defense.
Season stats
Walker finished with a team-high 121 tackles, plus five tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and seven passes defensed.
Walker’s 121 tackles and three forced fumbles were the most among rookies. According to Pro Football Focus, Walker led all rookies with 41 “stops,” which is a metric they use to track tackles constituting a failure by the offense. Twenty-four of those stops came against the run. In coverage, Walker surrendered just 31 catches on 46 targets for 304 yards and finished second on the team with 13 missed tackles, per PFF. As a pass rusher, his 12 QB pressures were tied for the most among non-edge rusher rookies.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Walker’s Broken+Missed Tackle rate of just 7.6% ranked in the top 20 among LBs with at least 40 solo tackles. Bill Huber of SI.com also noted that SIS’s coverage data found that Walker’s 50.0 percent catch rate allowed was the second-best behind only 49ers Fred Warner, a two-time First-team All-Pro.
PFF grade
51.9. Walker ranked 62nd among all NFL linebackers with at least 400 defensive snaps and 2nd among all rookie linebackers (only six met the criteria). Among all defensive rookies with at least 400 defensive snaps, his overall grade ranked 29th. Walker also finished 11th in snaps played among defensive rookies.
Best game
Against the Rams in Week 15. Walker finished with only five tackles but made several important plays in a must-win game against Los Angeles. He totaled two pass defenses, one tackle for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Walker nearly created a turnover with two minutes left in the second quarter when he came on a blitz to record a strip sack against Baker Mayfield. Offensive tackle Rob Havenstein recovered the fumble, but the Rams ended up settling for a field goal just before halftime. Los Angeles totaled only 156 yards of offense while Walker received his highest grade of the season from PFF, who credited him with four “stops” and one catch allowed on three targets.
Season recap, future outlook
Overall, I think it’s safe to say Walker had an up-and-down rookie season. You saw real-time growth from Walker as he improved as a run defender and in coverage, though he still has a lot of growing up to do. For one, two ejections in one season are just inexcusable. Walker appears to be remorseful for his actions, but only time will tell if he learned from his mistakes. While there is plenty of growth that needs to come off the field, Walker has plenty of improving to do on the field as well. The most glaring problem is his run defense, which improved in some areas but was still poor for most of the season. Specifically, Walker struggled with his run fits and getting off blocks. Moving forward, his processing must improve, as does his block shedding. Walker’s coverage ability appears to be in a good place, but there’s always room for improvement if he can become a guy who can cover some of the better receiving tight ends and running backs. As far as future outlook, I think Walker has all the tangibles to be a well-rounded linebacker, but how hard he is willing to work will determine if he ever becomes elite.
Season grade
The expectations were high for Walker as the first off-ball linebacker off the board. While he was the most productive rookie, the dynamic duo he and De’Vondre Campbell were supposed to form never fully materialized. Campbell battled a knee injury but also took a major step back from his All-Pro season in 2021. Meanwhile, Walker struggled to make a consistent impact on defense. Working alongside Campbell may have helped Walker see what it takes to be a pro, but it is obvious that he still has steps to take in his development. In the end, Walker’s play was too inconsistent to get overly excited about.
Grade: B-
