"We know the top five, six backs, but Mark Walton will sneak around a couple of them. … He’s a guy we’ve been talking about in that fourth-round range, but maybe he’ll shock us all and make it in the top 50.”"
Walton’s injury gave him a greater appreciation for the game. He was quoted in the Herald from last month’s Miami Pro Day.
"“I think it just made me love the game more…because something I really love was taken away from me for a moment.”"
Walton is a virtual lock to be the first Miami halfback to be selected since Johnson went in the third round to the Cleveland Browns in 2015. Johnson has made his career as more of a receiver than a runner. He has nearly twice as many yards receiving than rushing during the first three years of his career.
Walton has often been compared to the New England Patriots Dion Lewis. Lewis has been effective as both a runner and receiver in the New England backfield. In three seasons with the Patriots Lewis has 1,413 yards rushing and 696 receiving.
Next: Three Miami Hurricanes ranked in PFF top 100 NFL Prospects
The NFL Draft will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas from April 26-28. The draft will be aired live on ESPN, the NFL Network and for the first time Fox. Fox and the NFL Network will have a co-produced broadcast with the same feed.