Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos have a talented edge rusher group. Could rookie edge rusher Johnny Walker Jr. defy the odds and earn a spot on the final roster?
The Denver Broncos set a franchise record and led the National Football League with 63 sacks in 2024. Whether or not they are able to replicate that success this coming season remains to be seen. However, they certainly added more talent to their defensive front seven to keep that a realistic possibility.
An under-the-radar prospect that could surprise and make the final 53-man roster to keep the Broncos’ sack machine chugging along is Mizzou standout Johnny Walker Jr.
In 2020, Walker redshirted for the Tigers and for the next two seasons was a backup who played in just fourteen games. In that timeframe, he registered just 18 tackles and 4 sacks. By 2023, Walker finally earned a starting spot and registered 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
In his final season with the Tigers, the defensive leader earned second team All-SEC honors for his efforts. It was his best season of his five-year collegiate career, notching 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Additionally, he was key player in their Music City Bowl victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes and was a standout performer during the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Widely considered one of the biggest snubs for the 2025 NFL Combine, the Mizzou standout did his best throughout his collegiate career and the pre-draft circuit to get his name called this past April. Unfortunately, that call never came and he went undrafted.
But that didn’t put a stop to his NFL dreams. A myriad of teams were interested in signing him after the draft. Fortunately for the Broncos, he opted to sign with them. And even better for Walker, who earned the highest signing bonus and contract of any of the 15 players they signed in the post-draft frenzy.
Can Walker defy the odds and earn himself a spot on the Broncos’ final 53-man roster?
Age: 23 | Experience: Rookie | College: Mizzou | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 246 pounds
Arm Length: 33” | Hand Size: 10” | Bench Press: 21 reps | Broad: 10’0” | Vertical: 26 inches
10-Yard Split: 1.72 seconds | 40-yard dash: 4.82 seconds | 3-Cone: 7.69 seconds
The Broncos have a formidable group of edge rushers spearheaded by Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, and Dondrea Tillman. They also added Alabama prospect Que Robinson into the fold during the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
It might be hard for Walker to earn a spot with the numbers stacked against him. In 2024, the team only had four edge rushers on their initial 53-man roster. However, they brought Tillman up from the practice squad a few games before trading Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals. Thus, allocating five positions on the depth...
