With Foye Oluokun out of the picture and the uncertainty surrounding Deion Jones‘ future, Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker could be on the verge of a breakout season.
After a promising rookie campaign, Walker took a step back in 2021 as the team transitioned to a 3-4 defense. The former Fresno State standout often took a back seat to Oluokun and Jones last year, however, Walker is looking forward to playing a bigger role in 2022.
“It feels good. Just back with the boys, flying around and stuff,” said Walker following the team’s first training camp practice Wednesday. “This is what we live for.”
Among the areas Walker is hoping to improve is his ability to handle things like a professional, saying he hopes to cut back on his “moaning and complaining” from years past and focus more on his role as a leader. Walker had hoped his promising rookie season would propel him into a bigger role in 2021, so it’s easy to understand his frustration when that didn’t happen last year.
“I mean, any time you really feel tired or anything like that, you just got to tell yourself ‘a year ago, how would you feel? You wanted this a year ago.’ So I think that’s just kind of self-motivation for me,” explained Walker.
Walker will have to battle rookie Troy Andersen, one of Atlanta’s two second-round picks. Andersen has received lots of offseason hype from the coaching staff. Iron sharpens iron, as they say, so competition should bring out the best in both players.
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