Illini's Walker hoping to move up NFL draft charts
Like almost every other college football player who's been preparing for next week's NFL Scouting Combine, Illinois defensive end Derek Walker is getting restless.
Six weeks of preparation to perform drills - such as the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump, broad jump and the three-cone drill - under the watchful eyes of NFL coaches and scouts can make football players long for two-a-day practices in the summer heat.
Six weeks is how long Walker and other NFL hopefuls have been at Athletic Edge Training Center in Bradenton, Fla., honing their skills for next week's audition in Indianapolis.
"It gets monotonous," Walker said, "A lot of guys don't understand why the focus is on (drills) rather than playing football, and it gets boring. But I'm here for a reason. That's what they judge you on at the Combine, so that's what you need to prepare for."
Walker, a Glendale Heights resident, was a Daily Herald all-area performer in football and basketball at Glenbard East and is likely to be a mid- to late-round selection in the April 25-26 draft. His performance at the Combine could make a big difference.
"I have to get better at my starts," said Walker, who was running the 40-yard dash in the low 4.8s but hopes to run 4.7 at Indianapolis. "You just keep doing them. You want to do it great every time, so when you get to the Combine you know you're going to run it well."
As motivation, he keeps a computer printout of the top Combine times of last year's elite defensive linemen. He knows Chris Long had the best 20-yard shuttle time (4.21 seconds) and Vernon Gholston had the best vertical jump (351/2 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 5 inches).
The 6-foot-4, 268-pound Walker has matched that 20-yard shuttle time in a practice run and has a top vertical jump of 371/2 inches. But none of his personal-best numbers means anything unless he duplicates them next week.
"The big thing is not saying that I did them down here," Walker said, "but doing it when everybody is watching."
Moving up or down even one round can be the difference between tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention the security that comes with knowing teams make a greater commitment to players selected higher in the draft.
"I'm not going to sit here and say the money isn't a good thing," Walker said. "I feel like I'm a third- or fourth-rounder, but I have to prove that. I've got to give teams a reason to believe that. Money is a big goal, but even if I get drafted in the seventh round, that means I'll still have a shot. The opportunity is the big thing. If I get a chance to go to training camp, I'm confident I can make a team."
Walker is not one of those defensive ends with tremendous pass-rush ability who often rocket up the charts as draft day nears, but he had 6 sacks last season and 7 tackles for loss, giving him career totals of 15 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss.
"I've gotten better at pass rushing but my strength is still against the run," he said.
Walker was a member of Ron Turner's final recruiting class at Illinois in 2004 before Turner became the Bears' offensive coordinator. Walker redshirted that season but was a starter the next four years and would love to be reunited with Turner as a Chicago Bear.
"Being from the area, it would be cool to play for the Bears," Walker said. "But it'll be cool if I get a chance to go anywhere."
How much of a chance just might depend on his performance next week.