On December 16, 2017, it was announced that Walker had accepted his invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game.[2] Walker impressed scouts and team representatives during Shrine Game practices which added value to his draft stock.[3] On January 20, 2018, Walker played in the 2018 East–West Shrine Game and recorded two tackles and deflected a pass, but dropped an interception and was part of the East team that lost 14–10 to the West.[4] Walker attended the NFL Scouting Combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On April 5, 2018, Walker attended Louisiana's pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Walker was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.[5] He was ranked as the seventh best strong safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked as the 12th best safety by Scouts Inc.[6][7]
On May 16, 2018, the Detroit Lions signed Walker to a four-year, $3.51 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $881,988.[10]
In Week 17 of the 2020 season against the Minnesota Vikings, Walker led the team with 13 tackles (11 solo) and recorded his first career sack on Kirk Cousins during the 37–35 loss.[11]
In Week 18 of the 2021 season, Walker had 13 tackles and an interception in a 37-30 win over the Packers, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[12]
On March 15, 2022, Walker signed a three-year, $25 million contract extension with the Lions through the 2024 season.[13]
Personal life
Walker is second cousins with former Lions teammate Darius Slay.[14] Another second cousin, Ahmaud Arbery, was murdered in February 2020.[15]
