Penn State’s longtime left tackle is heading to the pros.
Three-year starter Rasheed Walker announced via Twitter on Monday that he’s declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft. He did not play in the Outback Bowl on Saturday and was on crutches leading up to the game. Redshirt freshman Olu Fashanu started in Walker’s place.
“The last four years have been some of the best years of my life,” Walker wrote in a statement. “I will forever be grateful for the memories I have shared with you all in Happy Valley and will always bleed Blue & White.”
Coming in as a highly touted four-star recruit, Walker appeared in four games as a true freshman in 2018. After getting a taste of college football, he took over as the starting left tackle in 2019 and never looked back, starting 32 of Penn State’s 34 games ever since.
As Sean Clifford’s blindside blocker, Walker earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in both 2020 and 2021. On an offensive line that had a lot of moving parts the past three seasons, Walker remained a staple at left tackle amid all the changes until his apparent injury.
Walker is now the seventh Nittany Lion to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft, joining star receiver Jahan Dotson and safety Jaquan Brisker, among others.
