L. T. Walton

Leterrius Walton
No. 96 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1992-03-31) March 31, 1992
Clinton Township, Michigan
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school: Clintondale
(Clinton Township, Michigan)
College: Central Michigan
NFL Draft: 2015 / Round: 6 / Pick: 199
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2018
Total tackles: 21
Sacks: 2.0
Forced fumbles: 0
Fumble recoveries: 0
Player stats at NFL.com

Leterrius Deon Walton (born March 31, 1992) is an American football defensive end[1] for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

College career

In his career at Central Michigan, Walton played in 54 games with 30 starts.[2]

Professional career

Coming out of college, Walton was projected by many analysts to be selected in the fifth or sixth round. He was ranked the 17th-best defensive tackle out of the 177 available by NFLDraftScout.com.[3] Walton was invited to the NFL Combine and completed all the required workouts and positional drills. He was satisfied enough with his combine numbers that he only participated in positional drills at Central Michigan's Pro Day. Analysts gave him positive reviews for his large frame, athletic ability, and quick hands, and called him a disciplined pass rusher with an explosive first step that can penetrate the line. He was also criticized for his technique, limited pass rush, and inconsistent ability to finish and get to tackles.[4]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
6 ft 5 in
(1.96 m)		 319 lb
(145 kg)		 32 1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		 10 1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 5.25 s 1.78 s 2.99 s 4.78 s 7.91 s 27 1⁄2 in
(0.70 m)		 8 ft 5 in
(2.57 m)		 25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[4]

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Walton in the sixth round (199th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.[5]

On May 8, 2015, the Steelers signed him to a four-year, $2.39 million contract with $116,928 guaranteed. On August 5, 2015, he made the Steelers' active 53-man roster. He began his rookie regular season as the backup right defensive end to Cameron Heyward. He made his regular season debut on September 27, 2015, in a Week 3 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

During his rookie season of 2015, he played in six games without recording any statistics.

Walton began his second season as the Steelers' fourth defensive end on the depth chart behind Heyward, Tuitt, and Ricardo Mathews. On December 11, 2016, he earned his first career start after Heyward was lost for the season due to injury. In the 27–20 victory over the Buffalo Bills he recorded his first career tackle and finished the game with two combined tackles.[6]

Walton competed with Tyson Alualu, Lavon Hooks, Roy Philon, and Christian Brown for the backup defensive end position throughout training camp in 2017. He was named the backup left defensive end behind Cameron Heyward to begin the regular season. During the Pittsburgh Steelers' 21–18 season-opening victory over the Cleveland Browns, he recorded one tackle.

References

  1. ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers: L.T. Walton". Steelers.com. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Steelers select CMU DT Leterrius Walton". Detroit News. May 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Leterrius Walton, DS No. 17 DT, Central Michigan: 2015 NFL Draft". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Leterrius Walton". nfl.com.
  5. ↑ "Steelers select DE L.T. Walton in the Sixth Round". May 2, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ "NFL Player Profile: L.T. Walton". NFL.com. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
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