Michigan football's Amorion Walker experiment: Tall, athletic corners that have had NFL success
Michigan football is going to give sophomore Amorion Walker every chance to win the No. 2 cornerback job across from classmate Will Johnson. Standing at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, he could bring a rare blend of size and speed to the position.
Michigan already sees him as a bit of a unicorn. There are still conversations taking place that could allow him to play both on offense and defense. Walker himself has stated a desire to play wide receiver, but head coach Jim Harbaugh cannot help but rave about what he brings to the cornerback room.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he would excel and thrive both as a wide receiver and as a defensive back, a corner,” Harbaugh said. “Just really trying to find the absolute best position for him for his career. Where is he going to make the greatest impact over the course of his career [and] benefit the most from his football ability?”
The athletic traits are obviously there for Walker. But it takes more than just being tall or fast to make an impact. Walker’s short-area burst and change of direction skills are what will make or break him when adjusting to a new position.
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John Vogel of Football Sapient wrote about how tall cornerbacks succeed or fail at the NFL level:
There are two different types of athleticism that you have to take into account. There is playmaking athleticism – that’s a pure athletic ability. Think someone who can run fast, or can juke the shoes off of a defender. That’s not as important on defense, what’s more important is reactionary athleticism. How does a cornerback react when he has to change directions to limit separation after a cut? Can he sense slight adjustments in direction?
Nine times out of ten, playmaking athleticism is going to win over reactionary athleticism. It’s the nature between the two – it’s hard to react to a well-timed cut or juke or even a spin move. Part of the issue, I think, too is guys being able to get their pad level low enough to stay with receivers. Not only do a corners hips need to be fluid and flexible, but they’ve got to control their upper body to run with a lower center of gravity to properly utilize those hips. Otherwise, you’re not going to have the time to react while limiting that separation. That’s very difficult to do as a taller player.
NFL examples of success Michigan can use
Richard Sherman is probably the biggest success story in recent memory to make a wide receiver to cornerback switch at 6-foot-3. Sherman had 81 catches over 3 seasons under Harbaugh at Stanford before switching to corner his final two seasons and racking up 112 tackles and 6 interceptions. He was a fifth-round pick in 2011 but would go on to make five Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams.
The Seahawks found success again in fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with 6-4 Tariq Woolen, who made the Pro Bowl and was the NFL’s co-leader in interceptions as a rookie. At the top of the draft, the New York Jets selected Sauce Gardner (6-3, 180) with the No. 4 overall pick. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pro team. In fact, three of the four corners that made the All-Pro team were 6-1 or taller (Gardner; Patrick Surtain II, 6-2; James Bradberry, 6-1).
These are all cherry-picked examples of players that found success in the NFL, but that is way down the road for Walker. Michigan just wants to see if he can play the position and develop the skills that could make him a prototypical NFL corner.
