Matt LaFleur addresses how Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt can learn from Eric Stokes
With Georgia football’s roots running deep throughout today’s NFL landscape, its almost inevitable for an incoming rookie Bulldog to meet a fellow Georgia alum in the league. Former Georgia stars Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt have the luxury of being drafted within picks of each other to the Green Bay Packers last month.
Most rookies don’t get drafted alongside their fellow college teammates and are forced to pave their own path. Instead, Walker and Wyatt get to lean on each other for help as they navigate their first year in Green Bay. Even more so, they have another fellow former Georgia teammate on the team in Eric Stokes, who just came off his rookie season with the Packers in January.
“I’m sure it will be comfortable for those two guys,” Packers head coach Matt LaFluer said about the two rookies’ having Stokes around. “I mean, anytime you go into a new situation with a bunch of unknowns and there’s a familiar face there, I think that lends some comfort to those two guys, but you know, I do think that we have a pretty impressive locker room, a lot of great veterans and I think they’ll take these guys kind of under their wing.”
With a tight locker room willing to look after the rookies, it builds the foundation for the Packers’ ultimate goal for the 2022-2023 NFL season – that elusive Super Bowl victory. If Walker and Wyatt know anything, it’s how to build a winning culture that results in just that — a championship.
Walker led the Bulldogs defense with eight total tackles against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, while Wyatt compiled a career-high 39 tackles and 2.5 sacks during his senior season. Both played pivotal roles throughout the season that led to the Bulldogs winning their first national title in four decades.
With this type of experience under their belt, LaFleur believes the lights will never be too bright for a pair of Georgia stars. They were held under a microscope by the national media for all of last season and never wavered under pressure.
“They’ve played on the biggest stages, so I don’t think it’ll ever be too big for them, but certainly, there was there was a lot of talent on that defense,” LaFleur said.