Outside of some Saints fans and a few footballheads, defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker was a relatively unknown commodity among laymen when free agency started a week ago.
Walker had amassed just 306 snaps and 19 tackles in 2014 and had just nine total tackles prior to last season. However, the market for the rising 24-year-old was heavy, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported when Walker signed with the Detroit Lions last week.
With the Lions losing two former first-round picks in Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, Walker could play a role in attempting to replace that production alongside Haloti Ngata.
The three-year pro -- who signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal in Detroit-- understands he will be compared to the players he's replacing, but doesn't feel the burden.
"No pressure at all," Walker told the team's official website. "Suh and Fairley are great at what they do. I'm just coming in and just trying to help the team win. So I'm not trying to compare and compete with Fairley. What they did in Detroit was outstanding and I'm just trying to come in there and create an impact and do what they ask me to do."
The Lions' lack of size inside following the Suh and Fairley departures led us to surmise Detroit might decide to move more toward a 3-4 scheme. But Walker said one reason he chose the Lions over a team like the New England Patriots is that Detroit's system would allow him to make plays.
"(The Lions) give their D-line an opportunity to go out and make plays," Walker said. "They said I was versatile. I played all the positions on the D-line (in New Orleans) and my production level went up every year."
The truth of the situation is that we don't yet know what Walker's role will be, and are months from truly finding out. But based on the interest he saw on the open market, expect Walker to be hyped this offseason as one of the answers to Suh's departure from Detroit.
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