Denver Broncos might finally get to look at DeMarcus Walker on DL

The Denver Broncos might finally get a look at second round pick DeMarcus Walker at the position he actually plays — defensive line…

Denver Broncos rookie and second round pick DeMarcus Walker was considered a ‘tweener’ coming out of college at Florida State, and understandably so.

Walker was listed as a defensive end at Florida State, but despite doing most of his work there, he played his best when lined up on the interior defensive line.

It was mind-boggling, actually, how much better Walker played as an interior defensive lineman compared to off the edge, where he was visibly slower off the ball. You wouldn’t think that would be the case, but it was.

When Walker was on the interior defensive line, he fired off the ball quickly and powerfully, and was almost unstoppable from those positions. He wasn’t bad overall as a defensive end, but it was amazing when watching his college tape how much better he was when coming from the inside.

We wrote a little bit about this in the offseason as Walker was working in training camp with the outside linebackers, a position that is completely foreign to him and not a fit whatsoever.

We also wrote about that recently, as the Broncos admitted he wasn’t playing his natural position…

While much of Broncos Country was split over the decision to select Walker, there are ways the Broncos can get good use out of him. As a second round draft pick, the expectations are high, and rightfully so.

This is the former ACC defensive player of the year. They don’t just hand those awards out, and there is plenty of strong competition in that conference year after year.

What did Walker do well that he can do right away in the pros?

He can rush from the interior.

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Yes, Walker needs to add some bulk and strength. Yes, he needs to (apparently) improve on special teams.

But this is a guy that could be helping the Broncos with their pass rush in obvious passing situations, and so far this season, he’s played in just 19 pass rush snaps.

That’s not acceptable, even for a player that’s being brought along slowly as a rookie.

When a player has certain strengths, it seems foolish to me not to utilize them.

As injuries have come up along the Broncos’ defensive line, Walker has made the transition back to the defensive line for reinforcements. We do not know if this is going to be a permanent switch for him, but that would seem wise.

Perhaps with the Broncos’ season all but lost from a playoffs standpoint, we will get a look at what Walker can do from the defensive line. The Broncos need to find ways to put him in position to succeed, and making him play outside linebacker and almost strictly out on the edge is simply not going to cut it.