Micah Parsons has 31.5" arms. I’m surprised he’s able to tie his own shoes with those arms.
5 Likes
I had a girlfriend once who complained about how she wanted to sleep on her stomach but her boobs were too big.
One of the things that appeals to me about Walker is I feel like he sort of fits into what Campbell said earlier on the 4-3 defense. I know many have dismissed those comments as overblown, and I could just be seeing what I want to see, but I think it makes more sense if he is thinking about Travon Walker and Nakobe Dean. Walker’s best fit IMO is a traditional 4-3 DE. But he is also going to be able to slide inside on passing downs which gives us some versatility. I also think Dean can be a great LB, but he’ll need to be covered up well as he isn’t that big.
yeah… this is a GREAT point.
If Parsons wasn’t asked to rush the passer in Dallas… and he didn’t have 13 sacks… but was used as an off-ball LB… he wouldn’t be getting as much attention. I haven’t watched every game Dallas played, but in the Carolina game I saw… Parsons was practically invisible when utilized as an off-ball LB. He didn’t show much in coverage, had fairly slow recognition in the run game, and struggled to avoid blocks when he wasn’t sent on a blitz.
But… when he was lined up as an edge, or even sent on A gap blitzes, he was a game wrecker.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays most of his snaps as an edge rusher from now on… especially after they lost Randy Gregory.
I do wonder… if a team would have drafted him in the top 10 of a stacked draft last year… and said day #1 that he would be an “edge”… would that team have been criticized for drafting a guy with short arms (for an edge) who had modest production as a pass rusher (6.5 career sacks in college)???
1 Like
We are living in a weird alternate universe where people are questioning whether a kids hands are too small to play QB in Pittsburgh…when the kid played his college football in Pittsburgh. So I never underestimate what people are capable of criticizing.
1 Like
I read that Pickett fumbled 38 times at Pitt, lost 26. Not encouraging haha
1 Like
Great work @Phunnypharm! I knew there were a number of us who had been on Travon Walker well before the hype train left Combine Station.
Doesn’t mean Walker is going to become Bruce Smith, Aaron Donald or Reggie White, but it DOES show we were seeing premium traits live, in-game that jumped out and screamed “potential stud” well before the amazing numbers he put up in Indy. Very interesting. Thanks for finding this my man!
1 Like
When I watch Walker, I think “at worst” he’s Ziggy Ansah or Trey Flowers. That’s his floor. And hopefully a healthy one that isn’t 42 years old. Its rare to see a DE be able to hold up against big OTs, no matter what they do. The ability to one arm an OT stands out. But when he confidently one armed a top 10 pick at OT like it wasn’t a big deal, that got my attention.
I think Walker brings high level run and containment traits to the edge, with pass rush upside due to the physical traits. Kind of like Ziggy. Anyone who watched Ziggy saw an unusually powerful person. And going back to your Aaron Donald comparison, that’s how I felt watching his film years ago. They consistently stick out as being “not normal” in the power department.
2 Likes
Plenty of short-area power on display here…
Yes. That’s the one. That woke me up to Walker. Outrageous.
I think his floor is much lower than that.
He’s a lesser version of Rashan Gary. I think that’s the perfect pro comp for him.
That’s not to say his career will be similar but their nearly the same player coming out.
Similar deficiencies.
Similar skill sets.
Similar physical attributes.
Similar ceilings.
Therefore similar floors.
2 Likes
Riley Reiff hooked him up with his cobbler.
I was definitely part of that group.
Yay, a run defense virtuoso edge at #2OA!
1 Like
I wanted to add to this:
I was much bigger on Walker months ago. I watch a lot of college football and I tend to gravitate towards guys who stand out on film. I then go back around draft time and watch the players that stood out much more closely.
There were times when Walker stood out. His athleticism is clear. You can see it on the field and at times that worked to his advantage and he made some splash plays.
But … When you dig into his game you realize there’s a reason Georgia kept cycling him out of the rotation. He disappears a lot. Doesn’t win a lot of matchups. It’s also clear he hasn’t honed his craft.
I tend to wonder if he’s one of those guys who are better coming off the bench instead of being a starter. That’s what teams do to guys who have holes in their game. That way opponents won’t key on their deficiencies.
My gut tells me Walker should put the weight back on a move back to 3T where the holes in his game aren’t as big of an issue. I think he could be a very good 3T with development. I seriously question putting him out on the edge. I think he’s too stiff for the edge and he just doesn’t have the hand skills to be out their consistently.
He’s all about speed and power. That will work better inside.
3 Likes
So you take a guy at #2 that has “stud potential”. Because of one play. While ignoring all the one on ones he didn’t win that he clearly should have. Might be better to just take the actual stud that is there. 
This
And this.
Honestly the best thing for Walker would to have come back for his senior season……but when you see mock drafts that having him going #1 he’s absolutely doing the right thing coming out.
I love his potential but that’s crazy at #2. I’m looking for Bruce Smith at #2 overall.
1 Like