Will UDFA edge rusher Johnny Walker Jr. surprise and make the Broncos’ 53-man roster?

The Denver Broncos have a talented edge rusher group. Could rookie edge rusher Johnny Walker Jr. defy the odds and earn a spot on the final roster?

The Denver Broncos set a franchise record and led the National Football League with 63 sacks in 2024. Whether or not they are able to replicate that success this coming season remains to be seen. However, they certainly added more talent to their defensive front seven to keep that a realistic possibility.

An under-the-radar prospect that could surprise and make the final 53-man roster to keep the Broncos’ sack machine chugging along is Mizzou standout Johnny Walker Jr.

In 2020, Walker redshirted for the Tigers and for the next two seasons was a backup who played in just fourteen games. In that timeframe, he registered just 18 tackles and 4 sacks. By 2023, Walker finally earned a starting spot and registered 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.

In his final season with the Tigers, the defensive leader earned second team All-SEC honors for his efforts. It was his best season of his five-year collegiate career, notching 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Additionally, he was key player in their Music City Bowl victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes and was a standout performer during the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Widely considered one of the biggest snubs for the 2025 NFL Combine, the Mizzou standout did his best throughout his collegiate career and the pre-draft circuit to get his name called this past April. Unfortunately, that call never came and he went undrafted.

But that didn’t put a stop to his NFL dreams. A myriad of teams were interested in signing him after the draft. Fortunately for the Broncos, he opted to sign with them. And even better for Walker, who earned the highest signing bonus and contract of any of the 15 players they signed in the post-draft frenzy.

Can Walker defy the odds and earn himself a spot on the Broncos’ final 53-man roster?

Player Profile

Age: 23 | Experience: Rookie | College: Mizzou | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 246 pounds

Arm Length: 33” | Hand Size: 10” | Bench Press: 21 reps | Broad: 10’0” | Vertical: 26 inches

10-Yard Split: 1.72 seconds | 40-yard dash: 4.82 seconds | 3-Cone: 7.69 seconds

Johnny Walker Jr.’s 2025 outlook with the Broncos

The Broncos have a formidable group of edge rushers spearheaded by Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, and Dondrea Tillman. They also added Alabama prospect Que Robinson into the fold during the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

It might be hard for Walker to earn a spot with the numbers stacked against him. In 2024, the team only had four edge rushers on their initial 53-man roster. However, they brought Tillman up from the practice squad a few games before trading Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals. Thus, allocating five positions on the depth chart for a period of time.

Despite the above, there are a few things that really stand out to me when watching him. He has an advanced pass rushing tool kit and technique. This is usually an area where most edge prospects need work, but he has a nice arsenal of moves. In particular, Walker does a good job of converting speed to power and certainly knows how to use his 33” arms to his advantage. Over this past season in particular, there were several occasions where he got the best of 5-star recruits, draftees, and future top prospects.

On the downside, I feel he struggles to diagnose and hold up in run support routinely. If he could add some weight and strength to his frame, it will certainly help him be more effective at the point of attack. Those are probably his two biggest issues, but they definitely aren’t long-term deal-breakers as to whether or not he can make it in the pros.

Last but not least, I like to focus on some positives regarding character for the more unknown guys vying for roster spots. After their final game together, Mizzou Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz expressed sincere gratitude toward Walker for his leadership abilities and what they had accomplished together over the past few seasons. An aside, it’s also important to note Walker played through a torn meniscus late in the season and still produced at a high level.

Final Thoughts

As stated above, roster battles are a numbers game, and the odds aren’t in Walker’s favor. I don’t doubt his talent or hustle. In fact, there might not be a player vying for a spot who wants it more than him. Being snubbed by the Combine and not being drafted will certainly be fuel to his fire in pursuit of a final 53-man roster spot.

Alas, unless one of the top five get injured it’s hard to see clear path for him to achieve that. But that’s OK. His collegiate production, skillset, and toughness will have him stick around as a developmental player on the team’s practice squad. You can never have enough pass rushers.

However, I would not be surprised if another team added them to their 53-man roster during the final cutdowns. When quickly glancing at depth charts at the position from across the league, he certainly could have an opportunity elsewhere based on some lackluster units on some teams.