Illini's Walker tackling present, not his future

When it comes time to praise Illinois' defensive line, Will Davis tends to get the majority of the glory.

After all, the pass-rushing savant from Maryland racked up 9 sacks last season to make it easy to project him for preseason all-Big Ten honors this year.

But when it comes time for NFL scouts to assess Illinois' defensive line, then fellow senior defensive end Derek Walker comes to the fore.

According to a sampling of NFL draft Web sites, the 2004 Glenbard East High School graduate ranks ahead of Davis across the board and projects as a fourth-round pick.

What does the quiet Glendale Heights native think about this?

For the most part, he doesn't.

"Right now, it's not important," said Walker, who'll graduate in December with a degree in Speech Communications and a focus on graphic design.

"Your stock's going to go up or down during your senior season, so I'm just trying to have a good senior year and make it memorable. Going to another bowl game is my personal thing."

No. 22 Illinois will take a dramatic step toward its postseason destination - in either a good or bad direction - during Saturday's Big Ten opener at No. 12 Penn State.

Walker has done his utmost to get Illinois' season off to a flying start. In the second quarter of the Missouri opener, Walker stepped in front of a Chase Daniel screen pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown.

Not only did Walker give the Illini a brief 13-10 lead - their only one of the night - he found the end zone for the first time since he was a dominant two-way player for Glenbard East's sophomore team.

"The adrenaline was going and I wanted to celebrate with my teammates, but I was tired, too," Walker said. "I was thinking, 'I've got to get to the bench and get some water.' "

That's the highlight of Walker's senior year to date, though he did flatten Louisiana-Lafayette's Michael Desormeaux for his first sack of the year (and 10th of his career).

If history is any judge, then count on Walker for a big effort in Happy Valley when he makes his 35th career start.

When the Illini knocked off the Nittany Lions last year, it marked the team's first home win over a nationally ranked Big Ten foe since 1991 and gave credence to their bowl aspirations.

Walker, who boasts a bigger reputation as a run-stopper than a pass-rusher, had a big hand in that win with 1 sack and 2 hurries.

The 6-foot-4, 272-pounder added 1 tackle for loss and 3 quarterback hurries in Illinois' narrow loss at Penn State in 2006.

Walker had no idea some of his bigger numbers have come against the Nittany Lions, perhaps because he doesn't look at the numbers at all.

"We want to stay in the top three of our conference," he said. "We want to prove last year wasn't a fluke."