Quick Facts
Biography
Joe Walker (born December 11, 1992) is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon.
College career
Walker led the Ducks in tackles in 2015, having started all but five games since the 2013 Alamo Bowl. He collected 203 career tackles in three seasons at Oregon, and 102 more during one season at junior college. He had many dynamic plays on the Ducks' fast-paced defense, including two fumbles recovered for touchdowns, one of which was the notorious drop at the 1-yard line by Utah wide receiver Kaelin Clay in the Utah-Oregon game on November 8, 2014, which Walker returned 100 yards for an Oregon touchdown.
Professional career
Walker wasn't one of the 39 collegiate linebackers invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. On March 24, 2016, Walker attended Oregon's pro day, along with Vernon Adams, DeForest Buckner, Byron Marshall, Alex Balducci, Bralon Addison, Tyler Johnstone, and five other prospects. He completed all of the combine drills and also performed positional drills for scouts and team representatives from 24 NFL teams. Walker was a projected to be a seventh-round pick or priority undrafted free agent by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 19th best inside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 236 lb (107 kg) | 4.60 s | 1.63 s | 2.65 s | 4.39 s | 6.86 s | 37 in (0.94 m) | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | 23 reps | |||
| All values from Oregon's Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Walker in the seventh round (251st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was the 36th and last linebacker selected in 2016. The pick used to select him was a conditional pick that was traded from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Matt Barkley.
2016
On May 4, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Walker to a four-year, $2.40 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $60,137.
Throughout training camp, he competed against Najee Goode for a roster spot. On August 18, 2016, Walker tore his ACL in a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, effectively ending his rookie season. On August 28, 2016, Walker was placed on injured reserve.
2017
In training camp, Walker competed against Nathan Gerry for the backup middle linebacker job. Head coach Doug Pederson named Walker the backup middle linebacker to Jordan Hicks to start the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opening 30-17 win at the Washington Redskins. On September 24, 2017, Walker assisted on one tackle during the Eagles' 27-24 victory against the New York Giants. His first career tackle was with Jalen Mills as they teamed up to tackle Giants' wide receiver Sterling Shepard after he made a 10-yard reception in the first quarter. On October 29, 2017, Walker earned his first career start and made a season-high three combined tackles in a 33-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He was named the starting middle linebacker after Jordan Hicks suffered a torn Achilles and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. During a Week 12 matchup against the Chicago Bears, Walker suffered a neck injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 29, 2017. He finished the season with ten combined tackles (six solo) and a pass deflection in 12 games and three starts. The Eagles won Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots by a score of 41-33.
2018
On September 2, 2018, Walker was waived by the Eagles and was signed to the practice squad the next day.
Arizona Cardinals
On September 19, 2018, Walker was signed by the Arizona Cardinals off the Eagles practice squad.
San Francisco 49ers
On March 24, 2020, Walker signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.