Prospect Profile: Darius Walker

Buffalo Bills Nation continues its look at top NFL Draft prospects today with another running back: Darius Walker of Notre Dame. The versatile back looks to have a diverse skill set that could help the Bills' offense in a few different ways.

Darius Walker, RB, Notre Dame
Height: 5'10" Weight: 206 40-Time: 4.55 seconds Junior

STRENGTHS: Receiving
- Very instinctual runner with solid balance and vision... Tougher than he appears and can bounce off of and break a few tackles... Highly productive in college and is experienced... Intelligent blocker who plays well in blitz pickup despite great size... Fantastic receiving threat with great hands and top-notch route-running ability from the RB position... Has played in a pro-style offense under Charlie Weis in college... Has kick and punt return ability, though he did not do much of that in college.

WEAKNESSES: Upside
- Timed speed is not great... Not very explosive and will not make many long (20+) runs... Does not have the size or make-up of a back who can carry the majority of a load... Will have more trouble hitting the edges of a defense than most believe... Upside is limited by his size and average speed.

NFL COMPARISON: Kevin Faulk, New England
- Faulk has always been the type of player who does everything well but nothing great. He plays the third-down role in New England, he returns punts, he blocks, he catches, he runs. What Faulk does for his team is make plays - little plays such as third down conversions, moving the chains, and being a team player. Walker projects as a player who can fit that role to the 'T', likely with a touch more explosiveness.

DOES HE FIT THE "BILL"?: No.
- Walker could be a good fit for the Bills due to his versatility, especially when it comes to his receiving skills. The Bills will be using a two-back approach, however, and the investment needed for Walker - at least for now - may be too much for the Bills to risk. If the team uses a Day 1 pick on a runner, they will likely seek a back who can carry a lot more of the workload than Walker can. If Walker slips to the early portion of Day 2, however, he could be a real solid value pick for Marv Levy.

BILLS NATION FINAL GRADE: 7.4 out of 10

LINKS
YouTube highlight video - Darius Walker
NFL Draft Countdown profile
CSTV profile
Scout.com profile
NFL Draft Scout profile

COMMENTS - Sound off! What is your opinion on Darius Walker? Is he worth the Bills' investment? Or is he overrated? Feel free to talk about Walker by commenting!