NFL scout feedback on Kenneth Walker III, the QB draft class

What’s the current perception of Kenneth Walker III as a prospect? How high could he go in the draft? We decided to ask around and gather feedback from NFL scouts as No. 7 Michigan State (9-1) prepares for Saturday’s game at No. 4 Ohio State (9-1).

We also asked about the quarterback draft class, which appears to be a bit iffy at this point.

‘I’m a big Kenneth Walker guy’

Walker is more than just a Heisman Trophy candidate. He also is continuing to put himself in position to be one of the first running backs taken in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Walker, who has run for 160 yards per game against Big Ten opponents, ranks first nationally with 1,473 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. He has eclipsed his combined rushing yardage total from his two seasons at Wake Forest (1,158 yards on 217 carries).

“I’m a big Kenneth Walker guy,” an NFL scout told On3. “I really like him. He’s a really good back. I think it’s a no-brainer that he declares for this draft, or he should anyway. He’s got good size (Walker is listed at 5 feet 10, 210 pounds). I think he’s faster than people give him credit for. You see some of the burst through the line of scrimmage, but he runs with really good patience and leg drive and vision. The way that he can carry his legs through contact, the guy’s just a really impressive back.

“Obviously they’re giving him the ball a lot this year, but overall throughout his career, he’s not been a big tread-on-the-tire kind of guy. So I think it’s hard to find holes in his game. I think it’s probably him, it’s Breece Hall at Iowa State, it’s the Isaiah Spiller guy at Texas A&M. Probably that group of guys for who’s the top back. It’s a pretty crappy running back class. But Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall, those two guys at least separate themselves from the rest of the pack.”

Before Walker, only one Michigan State player ever had seven games in a season with 125 rushing yards — eventual three-time NFL Pro Bowl selection Le’Veon Bell. Walker has already matched that number in just 10 games.

In the Spartans’ past three games (against Michigan, Purdue and Maryland), Walker has run for 476 yards and eight touchdowns. 

“I think he’s, for sure, a Day 2 pick,” the scout said. “I do think he could come in and start just because his style of play translates so easily to our game, where it’s the patience, the vision, the ability to cut back, the ability to run through contact. He can get his pads down and finish runs. He can be physical and finesse. I just think there’s a lot of things that make him game-day ready right now. I definitely think he’s a Day 2 pick.

“Comp-wise, there’s some Nick Chubb to his game, but he’s not as fast and strong. But there’s some of that in terms of the run style. Chubb’s obviously just stronger and faster.”

Who’s QB1?

Heading into the latter portion of the regular season, there’s no clear-cut consensus on the top quarterback prospect for the 2022 draft.

“I have no idea,” a scout said. “Obviously, I’m not going to tell you who it is on our board right now, but the person that is on our board right now I don’t think that that’s who it should be. And I think there’s other people that probably share that same opinion.”

Twenty quarterbacks have gone in the first round in the past five drafts: five in 2018 and ’21, four in ’20 and three in ’17 and ’19.

“This quarterback group is going to be really interesting,” the scout said. “Is [the first off the board Ole Miss’] Matt Corral? Is it [Pitt’s] Kenny Pickett? We always talk about the hand-size issue with Kenny Pickett (small 8¼-inch hands). But in terms of playing the position, last year we gave Mac Jones so much credit for just knowing how to innately play the quarterback position. And I think you can say a lot of that same stuff about Kenny Pickett. But, obviously, the hand-size stuff is a concern. There’s never been a successful starting NFL quarterback with that kind of hand size. But Pickett’s really cleaned up his game and I think he just plays the position the best out of anyone else in this class.

“That said, if you want the athletic traits and the arm talent, you’re looking at [Liberty’s] Malik Willis or Matt Corral or even [North Carolina’s] Sam Howell. But, boy, I have no idea which one of those quarterbacks is going to go first. I think my personal favorite might be Matt Corral because of the arm talent, the poise, the moxie to make plays. He’s just been a gamer. And I think he’s probably the ‘most upside guy.’ But, boy, I can’t guarantee that any of these quarterbacks in this class [are] a bonafide franchise quarterback.”

Willis, who began his career at Auburn, has accounted for 65 touchdowns while leading Liberty to a 17-4 record the past two seasons, but he has had three games with three interceptions since the start of October.

“Malik can really throw the ball,” the scout said. “Obviously everyone knows that. I think his accuracy and ball placement has drastically improved. There’s still going to be some issues with his ability to pick up defenses and get past his first read. I don’t know that they really ask him to do that a lot in that offense, but the guy’s super, super talented.”

Liberty is 7-3 this season, with losses to both Power 5 teams it has played (Ole Miss and Syracuse) and also to ULM. In the losses, Willis has four TDs and six interceptions. Willis leads the Flames with 733 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

“Ultimately, it comes down to how he interviews, what he’s able to show teams in terms of his football knowledge and his ability to obviously pick up an NFL offense and all that. There’s going to be zero question about the talent,” the scout said. “The only physical question just might be his overall size (he’s listed at 6-1, 225 pounds). He’s built like a tank, like a running back, but he is a little bit on the shorter side. So will just have to clean up any questions you might have about his ability to see the field and all that stuff that you would talk about for shorter quarterbacks. But from a talent standpoint, the guy’s got all the potential in the world. It’s just does he have all of the intangibles?”

Howell began the season with some buzz that he could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, but his stock has since dropped some. While his rushing production is way up (717 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns), Howell’s numbers are down across the board as a passer in terms of passing yardage (from 299 yards per game to 270), completion percentage (from 68.1 to 63.5) and QB rating (from 179.1 to 157.7). He also has thrown a career-high eight interceptions after finishing with seven in each of his first two seasons as the Tar Heels’ starter.

“I thought maybe Sam Howell would go back to school,” the scout said. “But it sounds like he’s going to take part in ‘Senior Day’ [Saturday against Wofford], so it sounds like he’s gone. But I think he could have he could have had a lot to gain by coming back. … And maybe he is the No. 1 quarterback this year. He came into the season with Spencer Rattler as potentially 1A and 1B. And now with Rattler out of the picture, maybe Sam Howell does think he’s the No. 1 quarterback in the class. I don’t know that I can say that definitively. But you know how it goes: It only takes one, right?”

UNC opened the season ranked ninth in the coaches’ poll and 10^th in the AP poll. But the Tar Heels dropped their opener against Virginia Tech, were 2-2 after the first month and 5-5 heading into their final two games. Three of their five losses have come to teams that don’t have winning records.

“It’s just been disappointing to watch him play this year. It’s been disappointing to see him kind of lose his composure in the pocket,” the scout said. “Obviously, he’s running the ball a lot more than he ever has. And he must feel like that’s out of necessity. So he’s been able to show off his athletic ability. But I think you’d still like to see more consistent pocket passing out of him. And, sure, you can always go back to last year’s tape, but the NFL’s a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ business.”

While Nevada’s Carson Strong has generated some early-round buzz throughout the season, this scout isn’t that high on Strong.

Strong, the 2020 Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, has thrown for 3,547 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Wolf Pack (7-3).

“Carson Strong is a popular name,” the scout said. “I don’t know. You like the size (official measurements of 6-3½, 210 pounds). You like the arm talent. He’s not a good athlete. He’s not mobile. The knee issues are obviously something to continue to dig into. But ultimately Carson Strong, in my opinion, is going to have to have a lot of really good pieces around him both from a protection standpoint and guys to distribute the ball to. I see more of an A.J. McCarron [career] for Carson Strong than I do somebody that is going to change the face of your franchise. I just don’t see that.”

Strong missed his senior season of high school in 2017 because of a knee condition that required surgery. He has had two minor knee surgeries this year, in January and in early August.

“It’s hard to get really excited about him because the injury history, playing in Nevada and not really dominating that level of competition, and also just his inability to move,” the scout said. “And I’m not saying like ‘be a runner and get chunk plays with your legs,’ but even his inability to really navigate the pocket. He’s just not a very twitchy guy.

“I don’t know. It’s just hard to get excited about him. You get excited about the arm. It’s just hard to get excited about total package.”