With David Bakhtiari sidelined for the last two games, the Green Bay Packers turned to second-year player Rasheed Walker, who has held up well as the team’s left tackle.
Through two games as the Packers’ starting left tackle and some mop-up duty Week 1 that has consisted of 85 total pass-block snaps, Walker has allowed only two pressures, according to PFF, and no sacks. He currently ranks tied for eighth in pass-blocking efficiency out of all tackles.
While PFF’s grades are far from the be-all-end-all in player evaluation, they do help illustrate when a player is performing well or poorly. Walker is currently the 15th highest-graded pass-blocking tackle in the NFL through three games.
“He’s athletic,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “He does not lack confidence, at all. He believes in himself and you can feel that. That coupled with just good physicality, good mentality, he’s got a lot of tools. He’s twitchy. He’s strong and he’s confident.”
Packers sophomore left tackle Rasheed Walker, the No. 250 pick in 2022:
– Back-to-back pass block grades of 75.0+
– 0 pressures allowed on True Pass Sets (only tackle with 25+ TPS snaps and 0 pressures allowed)Packers may have done it again
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) September 25, 2023
You could tell there might have been some early jitters in his first start against Atlanta, where Walker was called for a false start and missed a blitz pickup in the first half, but he settled in well and very quickly. While he and the rest of the offensive line have held up well in pass protection, where this unit as a whole – and in general the entire offense – has to improve is in the run game. Through three games, moving the ball on the ground has been tough sledding for this Packers’ offense, and that can have a resulting negative impact on the passing game.
Walker was a 2022 seventh-round pick by the Packers, who was on the 53-man roster last season but inactive on Sundays. It was basically a red-shirt year for him. This summer, Walker really came out of nowhere, at least from our perspective on the outside looking in, taking over as the team’s left tackle in practice and in preseason games a few weeks into camp. It became clear quickly at that point that he had jumped Yosh Nijman on the depth chart.
With week-to-week uncertainty around Bakhtiari’s availability, it is unknown how large of a role Walker is going to play throughout the season. However, as we saw Week 1 when Bakhtiari was available, the Packers still found a way to get Walker on the field as a sixth offensive lineman, lining up like a tight end.
Zach Tom would leave the New Orleans game late in the contest with a knee injury. At this time, we don’t know how much time he will miss, if any, but if Bakhtiari is available and Tom is out at any point, perhaps the Packers would be willing to move Walker to right tackle–although throughout college and his time in Green Bay, he has primarily been on the left side.
When it comes to offensive tackle depth, there is no such thing as too much of it. Over the years, the Packers have been very good about building their offensive line unit through the draft and developing players, especially Day 3 picks. Walker appears to be the latest example of that.
“Sheed is a versatile guy,” added Stenavich. “He’s very athletic, so he does a good job out in space. I’m glad we have a role for him there and I think he’s doing a good job.”