Looking for which Lions player might become the breakout star of the 2019 training camp? Don’t look past Tracy Walker.
Walker has the kind of game that can make for splashy training camp highlights. His range in coverage. His ability to high-point the ball in the air. The open-field burst with no wasted motion. We saw teases of it down the stretch of his rookie year, as well as his negated INT off Jimmy Garoppolo in the early-season 49ers game.
The second-year safety is in a similar position to where Kenny Golladay was a year ago. Golladay was coming off a promising but uneven rookie campaign at wide receiver as he aimed to fulfill the optimistic fan hope to become The Next Big Thing.
Walker doesn’t have to chase the shadow of Calvin Johnson, but stepping into Glover Quin’s shoes is no easy task. The recently retired safety was consistently one of the NFL’s best at his position, and Quin’s intelligence and leadership made him a beloved teammate. Those qualities might not come right away — if ever — for Walker, but he has the athletic ability and traits to do everything Quin did in the secondary.
If he can show that ability in front of the anxious fans in Allen Park over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to start seeing Tracy Walker No. 47 jerseys around Detroit.
