Former Penn State tackle Rasheed Walker goes No. 249 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft
Former Penn State offensive tackle Rasheed Walker‘s dream of playing in the pros has been realized.
Walker is now a Green Bay Packer, as the team took him in Round 7 with the No. 249 overall during the 2022 NFL Draft.
Numerous Nittany Lions left school early to be a part of this year’s pro selection process. Walker was one of the few who had a varied assortment of grades from scouts and media prospect rankings prior to things kicking off back on Thursday.
While some felt certain that another year in the Penn State program was a must, the Waldorf, Md., native who played his high school ball at North Point bet on himself. That decision has now paid off.
“I’m going to make a strong impact at the next level,” Walker recently told The Draft Network. “I’m going to come in and compete, I’m going to work extremely hard, I’m a focused-driven individual, a very focused young man.
“I love football. Whoever drafts me is going to get everything out of me. I’m going to be committed to my team and committed to winning. I’m gonna keep doing what I do best.”
Tracing Walker’s path to the pros
Walker’s Penn State career ended unceremoniously as an injury forced him to miss the Outback Bowl. Before that, however, he was a three-year starter and two-time All-Big Ten pick.
After playing in four games as a freshman, Walker went on to start 32 of 36 games in blue and white. As a recruit, he was seen as a prospect with a ready-made NFL frame who would one day flourish at the next level. That time has now arrived. It’s so even if his time at Penn State was littered with what many felt was inconsistent play.
There is no question, however, that when Walker was good, he was a major boon to the Lions’ offensive line. It’s also worth noting that he could have left even sooner but elected to return in 2021.
“He’s getting more consistent in his technique, and his fundamentals, and his play,” Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said last September. He’s going to work on that every single week. And it’s great to see that all that hard work.
“His decision [to return for another college season] right now is paying off, but if he was in here right now, he would say, ‘I still got more room to improve, and I want to get better today when we have practice. I’m going to get better.’ That’s great to see, and that’s great to hear.”
Entering the Draft, it was anyone’s guess where Walker would end up. He sat out both the NFL Combine and Pro Day. But, numerous teams were still intrigued, as he met with multiple franchises prior to the selection process starting.
Scouting report on Penn State offensive tackle Rasheed Walker
Dane Brugler of The Athletic covered Walker in his annual ‘The Beast’ NFL Draft digest, writing:
“Overall, Walker has the frame, raw power and body fluidity to be effective, but he too often sacrifices his balance and loses his bearings to stay connected. He has starting talent, but he must become more detail oriented to be a better-than-replaceable NFL starter.”
