Bengals proudly select:
TRACY WALKER FS, Brunswick, Ga.
| Louisiana 6007 | 206 lbs. | rSR. Brunswick, Ga. (Brunswick) 2/1/1995 (age 23.2) #23
BACKGROUND: A two-star cornerback recruit out of high school, Tracy “Trey” Walker focused on basketball and AAU most of his life and didn’t play organized football until his junior season at Brunswick. He played two seasons at cornerback in high school and combined for seven interceptions, earning First Team all-region honors as a senior. Walker received plenty of recruiting interest, but only two FBS-level programs offered him and he chose Louisiana over Navy. After redshirting in 2013, he moved to strong safety in 2014 and started the final eight games, posting 44 tackles and two interceptions. Walker was used all over the defense as a sophomore, but primarily as the boundary safety and recorded 74 tackles, seven passes defended and one interception. He started 12 games as a junior in 2016 and [242]
collected 61 tackles, six passes defended and a team-best three interceptions. Walker led the team in tackles (97) as a senior and earned Third Team All-Sun Belt honors with eight passes defended and two interceptions. He accepted his invitation to the 2018 East-West Shrine Game.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT
2013: Redshirted
2014: (13/8) 44 0.0 0.0 1 5 2 (SS)
2015: (12/10) 74 5.0 0.0 1 7 1 (BS)
2016: (13/12) 61 2.5 0.0 0 6 3 (BS)
2017: (12/12) 97 3.5 0.5 0 8 2 (11 BS, 1 CB)
Total: (50/42) 276 11.0 0.5 2 26 8
HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6007 206 33 1/2 08 3/4 81 1/2 4.51 2.64 1.56 33 09’11” 4.28 7.00 14
PRO DAY N/A
STRENGTHS: Tall, long frame with a humongous wingspan…functional play range to cover a lot of grass and clean up messes near the sideline…balanced in coverage to stay in position when on top of the route…looks to disrupt route timing without sacrificing his footwork…need to see it more, but flashes the ability to bait, ball search and undercut when the passing lane is in front of him…widescreen vision and anticipates well from his high safety perch…open-field agility to corral and finish elusive ballcarriers…not timid sticking his nose in the fire as a run defender…versatile experience at safety, cornerback and nickel…stayed relatively healthy over his career with 42 starts, growing into a defensive leader.
WEAKNESSES: Needs to get stronger and pack more bulk on his frame…ungraceful transition skills due to choppy feet and stiff hips…doesn’t have much feel with his back to the ball, often losing his man when he tries to turn and locate…too reactive in coverage and won’t take many chances…sticking to blockers with marginal stack/shed skills…tendency to throw his body downhill instead of coming to balance and using proper tackling fundamentals…eager to attack alleys, but his aggressive outside pursuit angles leave him susceptible to cutback lanes.
SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Louisiana-Lafayette, Walker lined up primarily as the boundary safety or Rover in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ defense, also playing on special teams coverages. His 2017 game film vs. Texas A&M showed his ups and downs as a prospect, but he did an admirable job covering potential first round wide receiver Christian Kirk (3/34/1) in the slot. A former basketball player, Walker has the frame more for a shooting guard rather than a safety and needs to get stronger for the next level. As an athlete, he stays balanced to make open field stops and maintain positioning in coverage, but he doesn’t play with any burst or twitch. Overall, Walker needs to improve his play anticipation to secure a starting role, but he is a
rangy athlete with improved tackling skills and a basic understanding of coverage concepts, projecting as the top senior free safety prospect in the class.
40 Yard Dash
4.51
SECONDS
Bench Press
14
REPS
Vertical Jump
33.0
INCHES
Broad Jump
119.0
INCHES
3 Cone Drill
7.0
SECONDS
20 Yd Shuttle
4.28
SECONDS
60 Yd Shuttle
11.27
SECONDS