5 Packers Still on Thin Ice Heading Into Week 3 Despite Win Over Colts

4. Quay Walker

The Packers used a first-round pick on Quay Walker in 2022 with the vision that he would become the centerpiece of their defense—a linebacker who could command the middle of the field and provide stability for years to come. He was supposed to be a set-it-and-forget-it solution, a player who would seamlessly take the reins and make the inside linebacker position a strength for the next decade.

Physically, Walker checks all the boxes. He's a specimen—big, fast, and explosive. On paper, he seems like the ideal modern linebacker, capable of covering the ground sideline to sideline while delivering physical hits at the point of attack.

The problem is football isn't played on paper. Walker's athleticism is often overshadowed by his inability to read plays quickly. If you're constantly out of position because you're slow to diagnose the action in front of you, it doesn't matter how fast or strong you are. You're not making the plays that need to be made.

Through two games this season, Walker has been a liability more often than an asset. Pro Football Focus currently ranks him 54th out of 70 qualified linebackers—a sobering statistic for a player drafted with such high expectations.

Even more concerning is his missed tackle rate: 18.2 percent. Those missed tackles and poor positioning have been a major factor in why the Packers have struggled to stop the run, with Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor gashing them repeatedly in the first two weeks.

Walker was supposed to be the anchor, the player who would plug up these issues. Instead, he’s part of the problem. The Packers find themselves facing tough questions about their linebacker position much sooner than anticipated.

It's still early, but if Walker can't quickly correct course, the Packers may have to reconsider their long-term plans at linebacker—plans that might not include Walker in the starting role they originally envisioned for him.