Rams sign DT

Scouting report and random facts about new Detroit Lions DT Tyrunn Walker

March 13, 2015

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2015/03/scouting_report_and_random_fac.html

Tyrunn Walker

Height / Weight: 6-foot-3, 294 pounds
College: Tulsa
Draft: Undrafted in 2012

Interesting tidbits:

– Prior to transferring to Tulsa in 2010, Walker was a junior college first-team All-American for Jones County (Miss.). He had nine college offers, including Louisville and Mississippi State.

– He averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds for his high school basketball team that won the 2007 Louisiana state championship.

– His first name is pronounce Ty-run, rhyming with Byron. His teammates often call him Big T, but he picked up the nickname Clyde in New Orleans because defensive line coach Bill Johnson couldn’t get the lineman’s name right.

– Remember when the “Harlem Shake” was a thing? Me neither. But here’s a video of Walker dancing with a kid in a purple spandex body suit on his shoulders.

– Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan described Walker as “not the prettiest guy” but “a hell of a football player.”

MLive scouting report: If the Lions are seeking a versatile lineman, they’ve found it in Walker. Playing in New Orleans’ 3-4 defensive scheme, he played every alignment from nose tackle to 5-technique (to the outside shoulder of the tackle), getting a surprising amount of work playing directly over center.

Walker is a quality pass-rusher. He gets off the ball quickly, but shows discipline. He’s never been hit with an encroachment or offside penalty in his brief career.

The pass-rush repertoire is simple, yet effective. He showcases an excellent bull rush, staying low and maintaining leverage out of his stance. Walker utilizes his length to get into the chest of opposing lineman and drive them back into the pocket. His above-average quickness is also apparent as he slides laterally down the line at the snap and knifes through A and B gaps with ease, narrowing his frame and bending around blockers.

As a run defender, Walker is inconsistent. He’s often overpowered by double-teams and can have trouble shedding blocks to make a stop. He does flash the ability to use his length and strength to direct blockers, but needs to prove he can disengage and finish more consistently.

He’s a high-energy defender. Walker’s motor runs hot at all times. He keeps his head up and eyes on the target, typically tracking the ball with relentless pursuit until the whistle. He doesn’t always show the best balance in traffic, losing his footing and going to the ground too often.

While only a rotational player in New Orleans, Walker looked impressive in his one start, last season’s finale. He’ll get beat on some run assignments to his gap and will likely continue to struggle with doubles, but he’s certainly capable of handling a bigger role than the 19 snaps per game he played last season.

Benching struggling Tyrunn Walker was ‘best decision’ for Lions

November 20, 2016

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2016/11/benching_struggling_tyrunn_wal.html

DETROIT — The Lions have been patient with Tyrunn Walker, their talented but struggling defensive tackle. But that patience has run out.

Walker was benched for Sunday’s 26-19 win against Jacksonville, and the reasoning was simple.

“Just like anything else, we look at who we’re playing, schemes that we’re going to have to deal with, and make the best decisions for us,” coach Jim Caldwell said.

For the first since since signing with Detroit in 2015, the best decision for the Lions was to bench Walker.

The Detroit Lions beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-19 on Sunday at Ford Field. Here are some quick observations from the victory, Detroit’s fifth in six games.

He signed here loaded with potential, a powerful player who was a bad fit for New Orleans’ 3-4. He looked like he was starting to really turn it on, too, when he broke his leg in a Week 4 game against Seattle.

Walker said he felt he was primed for an even bigger season in 2016, now that he spent so many months studying the playbook and understanding the nuance of Detroit’s 4-3 scheme. But that has not translated to the field.

He has three tackles for loss, but no sacks, no fumbles forced and no fumbles recovered. He has 18 tackles overall. His most notable play actually came on special teams, where he blocked a field-goal attempt in the overtime win against Minnesota.

So with players such as Khyri Thornton, Stefan Charles and A’Shawn Robinson all playing well, he became the odd man out against Jacksonville. Thornton got the start in Walker’s place — his second in a row — and Charles played well again in a reserve role, including dropping Chris Ivory for a 5-yard loss on the Jaguars drive that was sandwiched between Detroit’s go-ahead drive, and that 15-play drive that iced the game.

“(Charles) made a lot of plays for us, really tough in the middle,” Caldwell said. “He’s a powerful man, glad to see he keeps coming along. He and Khyri both are playing well, obviously Haloti (Ngata) made some plays in there. That front is a very active front.”