In this year’s draft, one of the largest and most intriguing enigmas NFL teams and the Bengals must solve is how to evaluate Stanford offensive lineman Walker Little. Good offensive linemen are one of the hottest commodities in the NFL. Good OL are hard to find and demand large salaries.
Because of the salaries that good OL command it is important to get the position correct in the NFL Draft. Little was a starter at left tackle as a true freshman for Stanford. He started every game in 2018. Little was considered one of the best LT prospects headed into the 2019 season and a sure 2020 first-round draft pick.
After suffering an ACL tear in the first game in 2019, Little decided to return for the 2020 season. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Little decided to opt-out. Despite his ACL injury, it would have been interesting to see where Little would have been drafted had he decided to enter the 2020 draft.
Now that the 2021 draft is upon us, which team will draft Little and when? Little’s draft rankings amongst the experts are all over the place. He is predicted to go from sometime in the first round to the fifth, depending on who you believe. Some of the overall rankings for Little are:
- Pro Football Focus 26th overall (1st round)
- ESPN 78th overall (3rd round)
- Pro Football Network 79th overall
- Tankathon 82nd overall
- CBS Sports 84th overall
- The Draft Network 168th overall (5th round)