David Walker, Central Arkansas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Walker was a defensive line recruit from Stuttgart High School in Stuttgart, Ark. in the class of 2019
Central Arkansas product David Walker is the top FCS defender in the 2025 NFL Draft. Walker dominated during his three seasons at Central Arkansas, but his short arms and lack of tape against NFL-caliber competition raise concerns. He’ll have a chance to cement his draft stock when he faces some of the nation’s top offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl next month.
Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.
David Walker, Edge Central Arkansas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Sixth-year redshirt senior outside linebacker from Stuttgart, Ark.
Background: Walker was a defensive line recruit from Stuttgart High School in Stuttgart, Ark. in the class of 2019. He didn’t receive a star rating or grade out of 100 from any major recruiting services. Walker transferred from Southern Arkansas to Central Arkansas for the 2022 season. He played football, basketball, and soccer for Stuttgart.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: 2021 First Team All-Great American, 2022 First Team All-ASUN, 2022 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 First Team FCS All-American (Associated Press), 2023 First Team All-UAC, 2023 UAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2023 Second Team FCS All-American (Associated Press), 2023 First Team FCS All-American (Stats Perform), 2024 First Team All-UAC, 2024 UAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 First Team FCS All-American (Associated Press)
Pros: Freaks List inclusion, natural leverage advantage, explodes off the line, horizontal explosiveness to exchange gaps suddenly, nice pop on contact, hyperactive upper body, ferocious hand usage, two-handed swipe, rip move, ghost move, swim move, speed to power drives offensive tackles into the pocket and opens the B-gap and overwhelms blocking tight ends, some twitch to put offensive tackles in a blender, euro steps set up inside counters, attacks the B-gap vs. oversetting tackles, sinks hips to dip and bend around the corner, spins back into the action, closing burst, motor runs hot in pursuit, impressive pursuit range, tears at the football to rip it out
Cons: Competition level, very limited arm length, bend is good but not great, reps where he fails to unlock his hips and gets pushed around the pocket, knocked off rush arc by solid contact, inconsistent deployment of pass rush plan, hands are active but not always controlled, needs to deploy more mid-rep counters, long-arm move collapses, bull rush effectiveness will decrease against NFL size and power, lacks anchor to hold point of attack consistently, arm length makes shedding blocks a chore
Overview: Walker primarily aligns as a 5-tech or wide-9 in a two-point stance for the Bears. He appeared on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List for The Athletic last summer. According to Feldman, Walker runs a 4.59 40-yard dash, power cleans 385 lbs., squats 645 lbs., bench presses 405 lbs., and jumps 36 inches in the vertical. He explodes off the line with a naturally low pad level. Walker’s lateral explosiveness helps him exchange gaps suddenly and punish oversetting tackles by countering into the B-gap. He deploys euro steps to set up inside counters and has a surprising amount of twitch that FCS offensive linemen have no way to counter. The Arkansas native delivers nice pop with his hands. His ferocious hands remain active throughout the play but are often uncontrolled and inefficient. Walker’s pass rush plan includes ghosts, rips, swims, two-handed swipes, and converting speed to power. He uses his power to pry open the B-gap or walk offensive linemen back into the quarterback’s lap. Walker lacks elite bend but manages to sink his hips, dip, and shorten his rush angle to the quarterback. He spins back into the action when pushed too far upfield. Walker finishes plays with his impressive closing burst and elite motor once he has the ball in his sights. The FCS All-American’s pursuit range makes him a threat as a backside run defender. He attacks the football and attempts to rip it out of the ball carrier’s hands. Walker is one of the most accomplished FCS defenders in recent memory, but he lacks experience taking on NFL-caliber prospects. Walker’s arm length falls far below the league’s thresholds and could contribute to him sliding in the draft. The sixth-year pass rusher’s hips sometimes remain locked on plays and prevent him from bending around the corner. Sturdy punches knock Walker off his rush path. He knows a decent variety of rush moves but fails to showcase a consistent pass rush plan. His hand usage must become more purposeful and work in mid-rep counters. Walker’s long-arm move occasionally collapses and leaves him at the mercy of the offensive tackle. He doesn’t have an ideal anchor to hold the point of attack, and his limited length makes stacking and shedding blocks difficult.
Overall, Walker is an explosive, high motor pass rusher with active hands and some lower body twitch. His speed to power and pop take over games at the FCS level. Walker’s extremely limited arm length makes him a historical outlier, and he isn’t the type of prospect that walks on water to overcome those concerns.
Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme
Round Grade: Mid Third to Mid Fourth Round
Size: 6'2", 260 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 10-29-24
Updated: 12-11-24