scooper said:
He's not an elite 5* type, but he is far better than you seem to give him credit for. Vision, agility, strength, blocking, receiving and a simple knack for getting yards are as important for a running back as break away speed. Emmit Smith ran about a 4.6 if I'm not mistaken.
Darius almost single handedly beat UM in 04 and was the lone bright spot against Ohio St. in the Fiesta Bowl. He actually had a very good game. He was solid all year and put up over 1,000 yards while adding a great receiving dimension and saving Quinn's scalp on a number occassions on blitz protection.
He churns out yards and keeps the chains moving. He rarely loses yards. Anybody who judges him based on break away speed is not looking at him with legitimate football knowledge in mind. They are looking for a video game player.
I am not bagging on him. I said he's a solid 3 star. That's not bad at all. But if Julius Jones was a 4 star...Walker is clearly a 3.
Now, as he gets older he could well move himself up...but he must improve.
You mentioned his blocking. That is actually his best charactaristic overall. This is one of the most widely underrated values for a RB. For instance, Julius Jones was a bad blocker. He would get run over.
Walker is an amazing blocker for such a little guy. In fact, if you watch the ND-DVD (Oldie Olderson's) you will see Walker just blowing up some people...it's really quite impressive.
In the end, I am not looking for a video game player. I am looking for a RB that can hit a hole and be a threat running downfield. That is not Walker. The CBs downfield can be confident that they will rarely have to move up to cover him...he will be caught from behind.
I would much prefer someone who makes the whole defense nervous...someone who has the speed to hit a hole and go 80 yards. JJ was the last guy we had like that.
Here's a comparison...who does Walker look like most? (Hint: not Jones or Denson...both 4-stars) Don't forget to take into account how good or bad these teams were...that makes it even more interesting.
2005
WALKER, D 253att 1274yds 78loss 1196net 4.7avg 38long
2004
Walker, D. 185att 821yds 35loss 786net 4.2avg 40long
Grant, R. 127att 536yds 21loss 515net 4.1avg 32long
2003
Jones,Julius 229att 1341yds 73loss 1268net 5.5avg 61long
Grant,Ryan 143att 567yds 57loss 510net 3.6avg 46long
2002
Grant, Ryan 261att 1160yds 75loss 1085net 4.2avg 38long
1999
Fisher, Tony 156att 811yds 28loss 783net 5.0avg 55long
1997
Denson, Autry 264att 1337yds 69loss 1268net 4.8avg
1996
Denson, Autry 202att 1229yds 50loss b 1179net 5.8avg 47long
Farmer, Robert 78att 664yds 4loss 660net 8.5avg 81long
1995
Denson, Autry 137att 741yds 46loss 695net 5.1avg
Kinder, Randy 143att 824yds 15loss 809net 5.7avg
Edwards, Marc 140att 728yds 11loss 717net 5.1avg
