Garret
Wallow.
Garret
Wallow.
TCU· 6'2"· 230 lb· 4.65s 40
"A 6'2", 230-pound converted safety turned three-year TCU starter with 9.53 RAS athleticism and 100-plus-tackle production, but average take-on strength pushed him into a Round-5 WILL/special-teams projection."Pre-draft read
Operates as a speed-first linebacker, typically aligned wide of the tackle box as a WILL or dime specialist. His primary trait is range, which appears in sideline-to-sideline pursuit, closing throwing lanes in hook-curl drops, and capably covering tight ends and backs down the seam. He quickly diagnoses gap runs from a mugged stance, triggering downhill without false steps.
He demonstrates a smooth backpedal and clean hip flip in coverage, comfortable pattern-matching vertical routes and driving on flat routes. Effort is consistent, offering special teams value. On contact, he gets absorbed by pulling guards, struggling to stack-and-shed. Tackling in space shows good form but lacks pop, with a higher missed-tackle rate against elusive backs in one-on-one alley situations.
Tampa-2/Cover-2 schemes that prioritize range and coverage ability over bulk at the linebacker position.
Year 1 subpackage WILL and core special teamer, with a ceiling as a reliable every-down coverage linebacker in a matching scheme.
Any scheme that mandates a 3-4 base or a two-gapping 4-3 front, which would ask him to play inside against downhill runs.
A converted safety, Wallow's value is directly tied to schemes that leverage his coverage skills and speed in space, minimizing his limitations against power.
Garret Wallow — TCU Linebacker Junior Highlights
2019 junior-year cut showing coverage range, mugged-front triggers and 125-tackle production against Big 12 opponents.
Garret Wallow TCU Linebacker 2019-20 Highlights
Multi-season TCU reel highlighting sideline-to-sideline range, hook-drop mechanics and third-down blitz reps.
Garrett Wallow x Houston Texans
Rookie-year Texans cut showing defensive snaps as a WILL and early special-teams tackles.
Wallow projects as a Day-3 linebacker suited for speed-based schemes where his safety background allows him to excel in coverage and space. Teams are investing in a three-year starter and defensive play-caller whose athletic profile, including a 4.65 forty, supports a role as a functional two-down cover linebacker and immediate special teams contributor. His transition from safety provided a strong foundation for processing and coverage skills.
He consistently demonstrated high production as a three-year starter, collecting over 100 tackles in two seasons for a defensive system that demanded communication, range, and coverage abilities from its linebackers. His usage was concentrated in subpackages, leveraging his athleticism and coverage skills, with his role remaining consistent throughout his college career despite competition level.
Evaluators noted his 230-pound frame, average length, and take-on limitations against blockers as primary concerns for an every-down role, particularly against interior linemen. The consensus positioned him as a mid-Day 3 prospect, with the Houston Texans ultimately selecting him at pick 170 in the fifth round, valuing his special teams floor and subpackage defensive potential.
- 01
Sideline-to-sideline range
Sideline-to-sideline range — Wallow demonstrates legitimate sideline-to-sideline chase and coverage ability from stacked or mugged alignments.
- 02
Coverage skills from safety
Coverage skills from safety — He pattern-matches vertical routes, drives on flat routes, and carries tight ends up the seam without issue.
- 03
High football IQ
High football IQ — As a three-year signal-caller, he quickly diagnoses gap runs, communicates fronts and coverages, and rarely gets fooled.
- 04
Consistent production
Consistent production — He achieved back-to-back 100-plus-tackle seasons as a three-year starter, demonstrating consistent tackling production.
- 05
Immediate special teams asset
Immediate special teams asset — Wallow projects as a Day 1 gunner or vise on punt units, solidifying his draft floor.
- 01
Lack of play strength
Lack of play strength — He gets absorbed by pulling guards and struggles to stack-and-shed on interior run concepts.
- 02
Tackling form
Tackling form — His tackling technique often involves leaving his feet on contact, generating more form tackles than impactful ones.
- 03
Average frame
Average frame — His 6'2", 230-pound frame and average length limit his ability to add significant weight for an every-down role.
- 04
Inexperience at LB
Inexperience at LB — His experience as an off-ball linebacker is limited to three seasons, and block deconstruction reps are a concern.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.65sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 122inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.87sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.12sp50
- Bench
- 22repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | TCU | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | TCU | 13 | 71 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | TCU | 12 | 125 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | TCU | 10 | 90 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 49 | 293 | 8.5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Realistic outcome — rotational off-ball linebacker with defined special-teams value and subpackage snaps, never a locked-in three-down starter but a legitimate 53-man roster body for multiple years.
Aspirational undersized speed linebacker comp — DB-to-LB athletic profile and coverage range with real defensive snaps if the take-on tightens up. Ceiling requires above-projection strength gains.
Cover-package linebacker and career special-teamer bouncing between rosters; the downside if the take-on never tightens and the coverage snaps do not produce splash.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Garret Wallow arrived at TCU as a New Orleans safety recruit, moved to linebacker as a redshirt freshman and started three years in a TCU defense, posting back-to-back 100-tackle seasons in 2019 (125) and 2020 (77 in a shortened Big 12 slate) as the defensive signal-caller. Measured 6'2", 230 with legitimate cover athleticism — 4.65 forty, 6.87 three-cone, 4.12 shuttle and a 9.53 RAS at the TCU pro day confirmed the tape read of a converted DB running to the sideline. The report package on Day 3 was consistent: plus movement, above-average processing for a linebacker with only three years at the position, and a defined take-on weakness against Big 12 guards on downhill run reps.
NFL fit — Houston Texans. Houston picked Wallow at #170 in Round 5 for a two-high Cover-2 defense as a WILL/nickel candidate whose speed and Tampa-2 hook-drop background at TCU translated to the scheme immediately. He played 425 defensive snaps as a rookie (three starts), then settled into a fourth-linebacker and core special-teams role in 2022-2023, logging 20-plus special-teams tackles and a fumble recovery across those two years. Houston moved on after the 2023 season; he signed with San Francisco's practice squad in 2024, was elevated multiple times, and has bounced between the 49ers and Titans practice squads since — a legitimate NFL depth linebacker without a defined starting role.
Retrospective. A defensible Round-5 hit as a special-teams and rotational linebacker, exactly the archetype Houston targeted. The take-on and stack-and-shed limitations flagged pre-draft have kept him off first-and-second-down defensive rotations, but the athletic profile, communication and 200-plus career special-teams snaps have kept him employed on 53-man rosters and practice squads across four years — appropriate outcome for the pick, not a starter and not a whiff.