Detroit Lions: Tracy Walker will play more than expected in 2018

While Detroit Lions’ Safety, Tracy Walker‘s rookie season may begin to play out like a redshirt year, he will be firmly in the DB rotation by season’s end.

The third installment in my series examining the Detroit Lions 2018 rookies takes a look at Tracy Walker and his potential year 1 impact. You can find my Frank Ragnow piece here, and my Kerryon Johnson piece here.

In the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Lions selected a previously unknown safety from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He was not expected to be picked this high, this selection had reporters scrambling. The Lions’ war room, however, sure was excited. Even Walker himself didn’t expect to get a call so soon. Here’s what Bob Quinn had to say afterward about Walker’s ability and why the Lions selected him with the 82nd pick:

"Good size, very athletic, play-making ball skills, toughness, tackling, speed. When he played against the highest level of competition on his schedule, I’d say go watch the Texas A&M game. That’s a good game for him, as well his rest of his schedule. But when you’re evaluating players that might not be at an SEC school or a Big Ten school, you try to watch them against their best competition and those games were really important to us, as well as the East-West All-Star Game, which we go down there every year to look at players. He was one of the best players in that game that entire week when I was there personally."

During the draft, Adam Schefter had an interesting note that he tweeted out:

If his sources are correct, they usually are, this makes the Walker selection even more intriguing. If nothing else, it shows how tuned into the league the Lions’ front office is.

College Production

Walker didn’t light up the stat sheet in college. He recorded 8 interceptions to go along with 269 tackles and 11.0 tackles for loss. However, his stats don’t tell the whole story. Walker played all over the field for the Ragin’ Cajuns, literally.

ULL was constantly putting Walker in positions to best help the team, rather than the best positions to rack up the most interceptions or pass breakups, like most safeties.

Walker was lauded by his college coaches for his smarts and versatility. Although he will not be asked to play all over the field by the Lions, like he did in college, they will ask him to play all over the secondary. Walker’s 6’1″ frame, 33 1/2″ wingspan and versatile skill set make him a great matchup for bigger pass catchers. Despite being 5 inches shorter, Walker has longer arms than Lions’ first-round pick, Frank Ragnow.

Don’t be surprised to see him deployed situationally throughout the season. One early season matchup I expect to see him in is week 3 against the Patriots, covering Rob Gronkowski on the inside.

I love how Walker’s demeanor fits with this team and staff. He very much embodies a “whatever it takes for the team” attitude, it reminds me of Glover Quin in fact. No doubt the Lions’ staff saw this while scouting Walker.

Quin has 2 more years on his deal before he is an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2020. During the next 2 seasons, Walker will glean as much as he can from the veteran, Quin, and eventually take over for him as QB of the secondary. Though a more forward-thinking move than most make in the NFL, selecting the safety’s replacement 2 years before his contract is up will be a great move if Walker pans out. I don’t think we’ll have to wait 2 years before seeing Walker on the field. The Lions obviously love versatile players and Coach Matt Patricia is fantastic at finding roles for them.

The Lions have been using Killebrew at linebacker during camp, another vote of confidence that Walker can be deployed situationally. Killebrew started 3 games at safety last season and played in all 16, that void will be filled by somebody. More than likely it will be some combination of Quandre Diggs, Tavon Wilson, and Walker.

There have been no reports of Walker lighting it up in camp, but that isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes all you want out of a rookie is to make progress every single day. It sounds like that’s what Walker has done.

Check out his game-sealing interception from the Lions first preseason win against the Bucs.

Walker’s size and athleticism give him something nobody else on the Lions defense has. Because of this, he’ll work his way into the rotation in multiple safety packages and in situations when the Lions have a big body to cover in the slot. As the season progresses we should see more of him. I expect to start seeing a lot of Tracy Walker in the secondary from week 10 and beyond.