The Denver Broncos added another accomplished pass rusher to their already stacked defensive front seven when they drafted consensus All-American DeMarcus Walker out of Florida State in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Walker was in Denver on Saturday to meet the media, and he sat down with Les Shapiro to chat about the pressure of being another “DeMarcus W” in Denver and the surprise of being selected by the Broncos.
Walker joins the Broncos on the heels of future Hall of Fame linebacker DeMarcus Ware‘s retirement from football. For the new DeMarcus, he says he’s not worried about filling Ware’s shoes.
“There’s no pressure,” Walker said, “because I just gotta’ do what I can do. You know, DeMarcus [Ware] is a great guy. Me and my mom used to always talk about him, watching him with the Cowboys. [He’s] someone I looked up to.”
When asked how he convinced Broncos general manager John Elway, who this offseason has targeted players with an intense passion for the game, that he truly loves football, Walker said
“Probably by my film and by my interviews, because I never talked to John before this. You know, I talked to the d-line coach (Bill Kollar) for a little bit, but never really – I was shocked when the Broncos called me, to be honest with you,” he laughed.
It’s a pleasant surprise for the former Seminole who ranks No. 3 on Florida State’s all-time sacks list. His 16 sacks in 2016 ranks tied for seventh in NCAA history. Walker joins a defensive line that has amassed 54 sacks over the past two seasons.
Listen to the full interview with Walker, including his excitement about hearing from Von Miller after being drafted, in the podcast below…
Sorry – this audio content is no longer available.
Catch Afternoon Drive every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
