Walker

Little

Little’s 4.81 40-time ranks in the top 98 percentile for NFL starting tackles. In fact his shuttle, three-cone and broad jump marks were all at least measured in the 70th percentile for offensive tackles at the next level. The only metric where Little underperformed was his 9 3/4" hand size, which placed him in the 25th percentile. Otherwise, Little’s pro day has to be considered a success. Walker’s projection is muddied by a near-complete lack of games played over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder went down with a knee injury at the start of the 2019 campaign, opted to return to school for 2020, then declared for the draft this past September after the Pac-12’s initial decision to table the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. His lack of recent game tape may be an issue, but this strong athletic showcase will likely secure Little a spot on Day 2 with the potential to slide into the bottom of the first round.

Walker’s projection is muddied by a near-complete lack of games played over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-7, 320-pounder went down with a knee injury at the start of the 2019 campaign, opted to return to school for 2020, then declared for the draft this past September after the Pac-12’s initial decision to table the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kiper is banking on Little’s early flashes -- he cites strong film from 2017 and 2018, as well as the fact that Little worked as a freshman starter -- but there’s a fair amount of unknown to this one given the long layoff. Little’s draft range should be considered very fluid. He figures to be in play for Round 1, but if the tackle is still on the board toward the middle of Day 2, that would not come as a complete shock.

We already saw the biggest OL name in the game -- Oregon T Penei Sewell -- opt out in favor of draft prep earlier this week. Now a fellow Pac-12 combatant is following suit. Little (6'7/313) makes for an interesting draft case, as he could have benefitted from a make-good season after missing the essential whole of the 2019 campaign due to a knee injury. Keep in mind that Little not only won’t be playing another season in college, he also will be entering his draft prep without any real cohesive offseason to get him up to par in terms of basic strength and conditioning. Little has popped up as a top-10 selection in some mocks we have seen over the summer, but his draft slot should be considered pretty variable at this juncture. Medical checks will matter for the Stanford standout.

Little (6'7/313) is not the first tackle off the board for Easterling -- no surprise, that would be Oregon’s Penei Sewell, whom he has heading to the Bengals at No. 3 overall in this mock -- but it’s a bullish projection regardless. While there’s no denying that Little has NFL traits, his evaluation at this juncture isn’t exactly clean. Little sustained a season-ending knee injury in last fall’s opening contest against Northwestern, for one thing. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, players have been unable to take part in normal offseason strength-and-conditioning programs and we’re going to be very curious to see just where Little’s at physically once game-action begins. Beyond the health questions, Pro Football Network’s Neal Driscoll wrote in May that Little’s film shows a lineman who is at times “completely overwhelmed” when facing off with speed rushers. Driscoll, based on that tape study, does not currently view Little as a Day 1 prospect

“Little has good size, functional strength, and plays with good leverage, yet he is a complete liability in pass protection,” Driscoll writes of the 6-foot-7, 313-pounder, noting that the Stanford lineman can be “completely overwhelmed by gifted speed rushers.” Driscoll floats the possibility that Little may need to kick inside to guard in the NFL. Further complicating the evaluation, Little underwent season-ending knee surgery last September. He opted to return to school over the winter and will need to prove that he can hold up physically in 2020.

Stanford was hit hard by injuries this season, with that being a big reason why the Cardinal have missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2008. Little (6'7/313) was one of the players who went down, as he injured his knee during Stanford’s season opening win over Northwestern and ultimately had to undergo season-ending surgery. His decision to return to The Farm is big news, not only because of the boost it will give Stanford but also because of his draft prospects. Little was viewed as a likely first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by multiple draft analysts before the season began, and with a good senior season he could solidify that status for himself in the 2021 draft.

Little (6'7/313) initially injured his knee in a Week 1 win over Northwestern. Stanford HC David Shaw had said in the days after that contest that the junior tackle might be out until midseason, but that prognosis is now taking on a darker shade. With Little -- an all-conference performer and a potential top-10 selection for the draft -- out for the remainder of the fall, Stanford will turn to true freshman Walter Rouse.

Stanford HC David Shaw confirmed the injury and duration Tuesday. This is a tough blow for Stanford as Little was a First Team All Pac-12 LT last season and one of only 2 returning starters on Stanford’s offensive line. The Cardinal face USC on the road Saturday in their Pac-12 opener.

Little (6'7/313) was injured in Saturday’s win over Northwestern. While Shaw did not provide specifics as to the nature of the injury, it looked to be a leg injury in the moment. Regardless of just what Little is dealing with, his loss is a huge blow for the team. The junior is viewed in some corners as the best tackle prospect in the country. Walter Rouse will start in Little’s place at left tackle moving forward. Stanford tends to be very tight-lipped on injuries, but we’ll pass along updates as to Little’s rehab as information becomes available.

Saturday’s season opener was a tough one for Stanford from an injury standpoint, as in addition to Little (6'7/313) the Cardinal lost QB K.J. Costello late in the second quarter with a head injury. Little is one of the best left tackles in college football, so if he were to be forced to miss a significant amount of time that would be a major loss for Stanford to have to account for. Beyond college, Little is projected to be a first-round NFL Draft prospect by multiple draft analysts.