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Fresno State LB Mykal Walker held a pre-draft meeting over FaceTime with the #Saints recently. He also has the #Colts & #Giants coming up soon.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) March 28, 2020
With the coronavirus pandemic disrupting NFL operations around the country, teams are getting creative as they continue to fill out scouting reports and learn more about the prospects in this year’s draft class. With the 2020 NFL Draft less than a month away, the New Orleans Saints are one of several teams using the popular FaceTime video chat service to conduct interviews.
According to a report from Justin Melo over at Draft Wire, the latest prospect to speak with the Saints was Fresno State Bulldogs linebacker Mykal Walker. Walker has had a full schedule, with future FaceTime meetings set up with both the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts.
But who is he? Walker transferred to Fresno State from Azusa Pacific, a small private university, and immediately started after redshirting the 2017 season. He wore many different hats for the Bulldogs, lining up at both middle and outside linebacker as well as defensive end; that versatility paid off with a career statline of 182 total tackles (94 solo, 22.5 for loss) with splash plays including 6.5 sacks, an interception returned 38 yards for a defensive touchdown, 10 passes defensed, three fumbles forced and three more recovered. He made plays all over the field during his 26 games in the Mountain West.
Walker measured in at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, putting up above-average testing numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.65 seconds) and broad jump (122 inches). He was more pedestrian in the agility drills like the three-cone (7.09 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.25 seconds).
Right now, Walker’s projection suggests a first-year impact as a backup who would see most of his action on special teams — much like Kaden Elliss, who the Saints added in the seventh round last year out of Idaho (home of the Vandals! Not a team name you see too often), which would put Walker on the board during the third day of this year’s draft. It’s interesting that he shares an alma mater with Michael Hodges, the recently-promoted Saints linebackers coach.
That perceived value lines up with the other linebackers the Saints have interviewed lately. In normal years, every team eventually meets with every player, whether at pro days, all-star games, combine events, or in formal facilities visits. So we probably shouldn’t look too deeply into these reports.
But it might suggest that the Saints are doing their homework on the “middle class” of this year’s crop at linebacker, in case they aren’t able to add a top prospect in the first round such as Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray, LSU’s Patrick Queen, or Wisconsin’s Zack Baun. Linebacker looks like the biggest Saints roster need right now, having addressed wide receiver (Emmanuel Sanders), defensive back (Malcolm Jenkins and Janoris Jenkins), and the offensive and defense lines (Andrus Peat and David Onyemata) through veterans in free agency. It’s always wise to be prepared.
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