Falcons: Mykal Walker shines in another dismal game

I’m not going to rant on this miserable franchise; I’d rather save my breath. However, there was another positive takeaway from this week that wasn’t Calvin Ridley for a change.

 

Rookie LB Mykal Walker yesterday:

-72 total snaps
-79.4 overall grade

-32 coverage snaps
-Elite 90.5 coverage grade (second among NFL LB's yesterday) pic.twitter.com/q1kwPRGarN

— PFF ATL Falcons (@PFF_Falcons) September 28, 2020

 

A lot of Falcons fans (myself included) were not familiar with Walker, and this pick seemed like a bit of a head-scratcher. With De’Vondre Campbell exiting and Foyesade Oluokun largely an unknown — a project seemed like a strange pick at 119 in the 4th round. However, Walker had to step up in Oluokun’s absence against Dallas and played well.

I wrote on how Foye could be due for a breakout back in January, and he’s been excellent. I’m happy he’s playing well, but injuries have forced Walker into action, and so far, he’s been better than advertised. Hopefully, with 2020 being all but lost, Walker can be a rookie bright spot and inspire some hope for the next coaching staff.