Cory's Corner: Rasheed Walker Continues To Impress
The seventh round pick in 2022 has carved out a solid role on the offensive line as a key cog protecting Jordan Love.
Rasheed Walker was supposed to be a stopgap at left tackle.
He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft as a Band-Aid to fill the left tackle position. David Bakhtiari was the mainstay for a long time in Green Bay.
Now it’s Walker’s time. It was supposed to be Yosh Nijman’s until Walker outplayed him to win the job.
It really just shows how well the Packers are at drafting offensive linemen. In 2022, the Packers drafted Zach Tom in the fourth round and now he’s one of the most versatile players on that line. In 2019, Elgton Jenkins was taken in the second round and is slated to be the starting left guard this fall.
Walker is only 24 years old and has plenty of tread on his tires.
“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m supposed to do, keep taking my job serious, keep being reliable,” said Walker.
Walker was ranked as the No. 28 best pass blocker among all tackles last year according to Pro Football Focus. That’s one spot ahead of Tom. He also only allowed 24 hurries last year.
This offensive line was ranked as the No. 11 offensive line unit in the NFL at the end of 2023 and I would argue that the number should be much higher entering 2024.
Let’s face it, now that Love has signed, what is the most important position on the team? None other than left tackle. Walker has proven that he is completely capable of being up to the task.
So be wary of the seventh round pick. Be unsure about a guy that was never supposed to start and play a key role.
But then again, you’d be wrong. You have to give this staff credit for being able to coach this team up and getting so much more out of them than they even thought.
That’s why Walker is so amazing. He has opened up so many eyes and has meant so much to this team and that offensive line unit. I would imagine that there were plenty of doubters of him on his own offensive line.
But after he won the job, they quickly saw that he could play. Walker is the real deal. You can still be surprised that Walker is a seventh round pick and is a solid starter in this league. But with all of the things that you can measure about a prospect — speed, strength, etc. You cannot measure a player’s heart. You cannot see how much effort a player is putting for for his team.
That’s Walker in a nutshell — and it’s why he has carved out a spot on this team and in this league. He has proven himself simply by his play, not by combine numbers.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (18)
JerseyAl
July 30, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Apologies for the site issues the last several days. We've determined it's somehow related to the thumbs up/down voting system, so that's been disabled for now. Your patience is appreciated!
Leatherhead
July 30, 2024 at 12:35 pm
You mean that we're going to have to present reasoned arguments instead of just giving an anonymous thumbs down? How will we survive?
LLCHESTY
July 30, 2024 at 08:15 pm
Just glad to see you survived a positive Rasheed story.
CheeseEdWest2
July 30, 2024 at 01:28 pm
From one Al to another Al, what a great piece about a great story. I could use this space to say something outrageous and not get a thumbs down...but I won't. The way the Packers draft and the value and attention they put on later round picks shows up in the results. There is an early sign that our new CB from Penn State is showing promise...as a 7th rounder. GPG.
GregC
July 30, 2024 at 02:09 pm
Thanks for the update. The thumbs-up/down voting system is a waste of time anyway. Please disable it permanently.
LambeauPlain
July 30, 2024 at 02:34 pm
Thumbs up, Greg!:-))
packer132
July 30, 2024 at 08:58 pm
How will Stockholder be to track his followers?
Zapato
July 30, 2024 at 06:33 pm
Thumbs up to that Al! Thanks for the update!
CheeseEdWest2
July 30, 2024 at 01:29 pm
The way the Packers draft and the value and attention they put on later round picks shows up in the results. There is an early sign that our new CB from Penn State is showing promise...as a 7th rounder. GPG.
Turophile
July 30, 2024 at 01:58 pm
Quote : Rasheed Walker was supposed to be a stopgap at left tackle.
He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft as a Band-Aid to fill the left tackle position. David Bakhtiari was the mainstay for a long time in Green Bay.
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I don't think the Packers think the same way that you do. They draft a guy they like and then try him out to see how good he is, as an NFL player. The round they draft him in becomes of small importance once he is in camp, because there the best man wins (or certainly should win) irrespective of draft position.
Therefore they don't view Walker as a stopgap just because he is a late pick, they put him in and assess his play. This is an ongoing process as the player learns. If you are good enough you work up to being a starter.
The other side of the coin (though I accept it is very early in the process) is that rookie LT Jordan Morgan was a first round pick who had been a LT. Did he simply walk in and take over Walkers job ? He did not. He is trying out at guard mostly. Maybe he will grow into an even better LT than Walker, maybe he won't. As long as he gets to be a starter on the line its a win for the Packers.
Of course this isn't just a one year thing. As Morgan learns his trade he may ascend over time to be a starting tackle. We will just have to wait and see what the future brings.
Scottie Wells, Mark Tauscher, the Packers have done this before.
LambeauPlain
July 30, 2024 at 02:51 pm
Seems Morgan is going to first prove himself at G...and demonstrate hoped for flexibility like the other high RAS guy Tom. See if he is a top candidate for the best 5.
It would be excellent to see Walker continue to grow at LT.
Also expect the combinations and position shifts will continue for a few more weeks before the best 5 emerge. And if the decision on the best 5 takes longer, as long as it is due to high level play among several OL, great!
Walker, Jenks, Myers, Morgan, Tom, Rhyan, Monk, Telfort, Tenuta, Jennings, Glover, Caleb the Giant...interesting group for Camp.
Guam
July 30, 2024 at 05:01 pm
Notice that you didn't mention Dillard or (yikes!) Newman. The Dillard experiment seemed to go off the rails the first couple of TC practices although to be fair I understand he has looked a bit better in more recent practices. A veteran should have been better prepared to start TC.
With Dillard under fire and Rhyan not asserting himself at RG, it does seem to leave the Packer O-line a bit thin on reserve talent. The starting five should be good, but Gute may have to go shopping at cut down time to find some more depth. Monk, Jennings and Glover are rookies and Telfort, Tenuta and Jones are very unproven.
Bitternotsour
July 30, 2024 at 08:28 pm
It's all vapor until the 3rd preseason game. also, this site is still running really slow.
Guam
July 30, 2024 at 09:48 pm
The site has returned to normal speed for me.
LLCHESTY
July 30, 2024 at 08:13 pm
I don't really care if Morgan is an early season starter if he's the best backup at 4 spots. If that's the case he'll see action sooner or later and if he can hold the fort down or take over the spot in a long term injury situation that's all you can ask for.
Guam
July 30, 2024 at 09:46 pm
And if the Packers have two injuries..........? You usually need 7-8 good linemen to get through the season.
TarynsEyes
July 30, 2024 at 03:24 pm
Just keep the like button, make those who dislike a comment make a comment. Encourage those who comment and eliminate those who cannot or won't. It will create a better discussion for all.
LLCHESTY
July 30, 2024 at 09:10 pm
Walker was a 7th rounder more for what he did off the field and the on field hump than his actual skills. He had a 2nd round grade before his Junior year and could have stayed in school and been drafted higher. He was a gamble but a solid one.