Georgia Bulldogs LB Quay Walker Drafted No. 22 Overall by Packers
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ATHENS - Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Quay Walker was drafted No. 22 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
The former four-star prospect was a part of the Georgia Bulldogs 2021 national championship. Walker has his best season at Georgia in 2021. He started 15 games for the Dawgs in 2021, and Walker had a third-best 67 tackles in 2021. He ended his career at UGA with 139 tackles, five sacks, three passes defended and a recovered fumble.
Walker had a huge game vs. the Gators in 2021 with 13 tackles, and added six quarterback pressures against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The former Crisp County star picked Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs over Tennessee and Alabama in a famous viral video.
Most analysts predictions were mixed on Walker. None had Walker inside the top 20, but soon thereafter he was predicted to go anywhere from the No. 22 overall pick to a third-round selection.
According to FanDuel, the Green Bay Packers have +1100 odds to win the Super Bowl next season.
ESPN’s Matt Miller tweeted Thursday: “Asked a buddy in the league for a surprise pick that could happen tomorrow night. ‘Quay Walker the first linebacker and he doesn’t get past New England’. That would be a surprise, but he’s a top 25 player for me.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper had this to say about Walker:
“Walker is a big and tough linebacker who could try to fill the void left by Bobby Wagner’s departure (in Seattle),” Kiper said. “I was a big fan of the Seahawks taking Jordyn Brooks in Round 1 in 2020, and this would give them two off-ball linebackers to crush ball carriers and get their hands in passing lanes.”
Kirby Smart said Walker grew up in a big way during his time at Georgia.
"He committed to being excellent and doing what he's supposed to off the field and on the field, became much more of a student of the game," Smart told reporters in September. "He holds people accountable now, and this is the guy who wouldn't do it. Now he's doing it all, and it's pretty awesome to see how far he's come. I love watching players grow like that because I got to sit in his house for a long time and now getting to see a different person."