Name: Deone Walker
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 340 lbs.
Position: Offensive lineman/defensive tackle
Class: 2022
Offers: Akron, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo, Virginia Tech
Commitment: Uncommitted
Notes: Rivals 4-star, 5.8 grade, #23 DT, #8 in MI...247 Sports 3-star, 88 grade, #66 DL, #14 in MI...Unranked by ESPN...Played for former Michigan RB Thomas Wilcher at Cass Tech, though Wilcher was recently hired by Michigan State...Announced a top five of Arizona State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, and Missouri
Hit the jump for more.
Stats: N/A
Strengths: Great size...Long wingspan to wrap up ball carriers...Shows surprisingly good lateral quickness...Plays low enough to use an effective bull rush...Shows ability to play out of both left- and right-handed stances, which is difficult at his size...Good first-step upfield quickness
Weaknesses: Relies heavily on swim move since he's so much bigger than most high school offensive linemen...Will need to learn more varied pass rush repertoire...Struggles to slant at times, perhaps due to size/weight
Overall: Walker is a very large human with good athleticism. He has supposedly worked on his body this off-season, shedding some weight to get down from the 340 range to around 320. I think managing his weight will be important. At a lighter weight, he could potentially play a 4i position on defense. If he gets heavier, he may have to move inside to nose tackle. Also, though he has not shown it in high school, he could play offensive line and be a massive blocker.
Projection: Power Five conference multi-year starter. Proper development of his body will be important, but he should play early on the defensive line. If he plays offense, he may require some more time to learn technique, but his size, length, and lateral quickness should help him get on the field while expecting some bumps along the way.
Reminds me of: William Campbell. Michigan is a little short on giant, massive linemen with two-way capabilities for a comparison. Walker is a little longer and has more offensive tackle upside than Campbell, who was more limited to playing inside.
Highlights:
How's his pad level? I know how badly we need DTs, but at 6'6 & over 300 before his HS Senior year, I would expect him to end up on OL
ReplyDeleteMust get if the staff is sincere about getting bigger and deeper on the interior DL.
ReplyDelete-LANK