The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten an unexpected level of production from their rookies, with top picks struggling and lower-drafted players shining. David Walker, who is a different kind of rookie, has gotten off to a very strong start.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered another brutal loss on Sunday, falling to 0-3 against the Minnesota Vikings.
The offense struggled to find a rhythm, with the defense having to pick up a lot of slack and spend a lot of time on the field.
Despite Tampa's winless start to the season, some of the Bucs' young talents have shown flashes of their abilities.
Josiah Trotter and David Walker have both been very effective through the opening three weeks.
Trotter missed Sunday's game, but had previously ranked second in the NFL with 23 tackles on the year.
Walker, who is a second-year rookie, recorded a sack for his second-straight game, becoming the first Buccaneer to record multiple sacks in their first three career games since Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2020.
The former Central Arkansas standout missed all of his real rookie season with a torn ACL suffered in training camp, but has bounced back in a big way.
This past offseason, Walker wreaked havoc in joint practices and training camp sessions, recording a "ghost" sack in nine consecutive practices.
Following a standout session, Rakeem Nuñez-Roches talked about Walker, calling him "somethin' serious."
"I feel like he has a 95 win percentage ratio," Nuñez-Roches said. "He’s definitely vicious."
In college, Walker was one of the top FCS players in recent memory on the defensive side of the ball.
His statistical dominance at Central Arkansas speaks for itself, as he was a three-time All-American, ending his college career with a school-record 39 sacks (in just three seasons) and 82.5 tackles for loss.
Walker also added 244 tackles, six forced fumbles and eight passes defensed in his career, while being named defensive player of the year in his respective conference three seasons in a row.
Following his standout career, the Bucs selected Walker in the fourth round, making him one of 12 players to ever be drafted out of Central Arkansas.
Going forward, having Walker as one of the lone producers on the edge will need to continue, as the Bucs are without Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain missed Sunday's game with a groin injury, and has had a quiet start to his highly-touted rookie campaign.
Heading into Week 4, the Bucs have an opportunity to tee off against an offensive line that has really struggled, hosting the Green Bay Packers.
Expect head coach Todd Bowles to attack the Packers' weaknesses in the trenches with blitzes early and often, while trying to get his team their first win of the year.
