ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Every year, Greg Gattuso wants his defensive line creating chaos in the backfield. He likes that unit again this year, and had high praise for one player in particular.
“Mazon Walker’s as good a football player in the interior that I’ve ever coached,” Gattuso said. That’s a big statement given that Gattuso coached three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald at Pittsburgh.
“It sounds like a big comparison but for what Mazon does every game, he’s a very disruptive athletic guy, and he’s undersized, and yeah, I’ve coached some guys like that,” Gattuso said.
“Hearing what he said, that’s definitely a big pat on the back, but at the same time, I can’t let it get in my head too much, you know,” Walker said. “I still have to be me.”
In 14 games last season, Walker had 46 tackles, including 14 for a loss to go along with three and a half sacks.
“The kid could be 300 pounds, he could be 245, he moves at one speed and that’s a thousand miles an hour,” linebacker Danny Damico said. “That man comes out of his stance quicker than I’ve ever seen anyone come out of their stance.”
As a linebacker, Danny Damico has a front-row seat to Walker’s abilities and expects the lineman to have a breakout season. “I can’t believe that he’s not talked about more,” he said.
But he was talked about today. “He’s not big, but he’s tough and fast and intelligent,” Gattuso said.
And drawing comparisons to Donald, well, now he has to go out on the field and prove it. “At the end of the day, I’m just trying to be the best that I can,” Walker said.
