Penn State offensive lineman Rasheed Walker is off to the NFL after hearing his name called on Saturday afternoon, selected 249th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Walker appeared in 26 career games, making 22 starts, all at left tackle while at Penn State.
The Maryland native was a longtime presence on Penn State’s offensive front and was named named third team All-Big Ten by the media and honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches following the 2020 season.
“Rasheed is extremely deserving of this opportunity with the Packers,” said Penn State coach James Franklin. “He has been a steady contributor to our program, with 32 starts at left tackle, earning All-Big Ten honors twice. Over the course of his career, Rasheed transformed himself mentally and physically to a point where he developed into one of the best tackles in the Big Ten conference. We appreciate Rasheed’s commitment to our program and wish him nothing but the best in his NFL career.”
Walker is the first Penn State offensive tackle drafted since Donovan Smith was selected in the 2015 draft. For his part, Smith is now one of the highest paid tackles in the NFL.
As the draft continues into the final few selections Walker is the latest Nittany Lion to go off the board following in the footsteps of receiver Jahan Dotson who was selected No. 16 overall by the Washington Commanders in the first round of the draft on Thursday night. Since then Jaquan Brisker, Jordan Stout, Brandon Smith, Tariq Castro-Fields and Arnold Ebiketie have all heard their names called in addition to Walker.
