Leader From Historic Georgia Defense Linked to Broncos in Mock Drafts

Getty Georgia linebacker Quay Walker runs through a drill at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Denver Broncos may have to wait until Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft to make their first selection, but when they do the pick could come from one of the best units in recent college football memory – the University of Georgia defense.

In his recent mock draft from April 25, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports had the Broncos selecting Georgia linebacker Quay Walker with their first pick, which is No. 64 overall. Walker, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound senior, also went to the Broncos in the April 11 mock draft from Anthony Treash at Pro Football Focus.

Many pundits believe linebacker is a position of need for Denver heading into the draft, like Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated, who listed linebacker as the Bronco’s top need in his April 25 Draft Preview. Linebacker Troy Anderson from Montana State was the choice for the Broncos in the 7-round mock draft The Athletic’s Dane Brugler published on April 14, and Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma being available at No. 64 was one of the best-case scenarios Ben Linsey from Pro Football Focus wrote about in his April 11 story.

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Walker Among Leaders on and off Field

Walker started all 15 games last season for national champion Georgia (14-1) and finished tied for third on the team in total tackles (67) to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 25 quarterback pressures and three pass breakups. The senior was excellent in Georgia’s 33-18 win against Alabama in the National Championship game, finishing with a team-high eight tackles and a career-high six quarterback pressures. At the NFL Combine, Walker ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds and recorded a 32-inch vertical jump and a 122-inch broad jump.

Not only was Walker one of the Bulldogs’ statistical leaders, he was also one of the team’s emotional leaders. Erick Trickel from Fan Nation lists Walker among potential good fits for Denver in his “Finding Broncos” series and writes that Walker, “is the type of player you want in the locker room and is a leader on and off the field,” and among Walker’s “Pros” Trickel has “Confident in his play, and it resonates with those around him” at the top of the list.

Walker stood out for the Bulldogs in 2021, and that was not easy to do on a defense that could have as many as six players selected in the first two rounds of this year’s draft – end Travon Walker (a potential No. 1 overall pick), tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, and safety Lewis Cine.

Georgia allowed just 10.2 points per game last year, the best average in the country. Many experts feel the Bulldogs were not only the best defensive team last year, but one of the best of all time, and this deep statistical analysis from FiveThirtyEight backs up that theory.

Broncos Might be Willing to Move up in Round 2

Walker is projected to be a second round pick by many, including all four of the mock drafts mentioned above. If he slips to the bottom of that projection, he should be available to the Broncos at No. 64, which is the final pick of the second round.

However, if Denver is truly targeting Walker, Broncos GM George Paton could move up to draft him. Last year Paton moved up from No. 40 to No. 35 to select running back Javonte Williams, and during a press conference on Friday Paton said there’s a chance the team could make moves in the second round again this year.

“It’s going to be tough to move up in the first (round),” Paton said. “I wouldn’t rule it out. I would say it’s much more likely we move up in the second or we move back. It’s going to take a lot of capital. We’ve gone through all the models to get up there in the first and so, you never rule it out, but I think it’s more likely we move up in the second.”