Walter Rouse (born March 9, 2001) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Walter Rouse
No. 78 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (2001-03-09) March 9, 2001 (age 23)
Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:313 lb (142 kg)
Career information
High school:Sidwell Friends School
College:Stanford (2019–2022)
Oklahoma (2023)
NFL draft:2024 / round: 6 / pick: 177
Career history
Roster status:Active
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life and high school

edit

Rouse attended high school at Sidwell Friends School.[1] Coming out of high school, Rouse was rated as a three-star recruit, where he decided to commit to play college football for the Stanford Cardinal.[2][3]

College career

edit

Stanford

edit

During Rouse's freshman season in 2019, he played in 12 games while making 11 starts.[4] During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Rouse would start all six games for the Cardinal.[5] In 2021, Rouse would play in and start all 12 games for Stanford.[6] During the 2022 season, Rouse played in and started ten games for the Cardinal.[7] For his performance on the 2022 season, Rouse earned honorable mention all Pac-12 honors.[8]

During Rouse's career at Stanford, he played in 40 games while making 39 starts.[9][10]

Oklahoma

edit

Rouse initially decided to transfer to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.[11][12] However, Rouse decided to flip his commitment to play for the Oklahoma Sooners.[13][14] During the 2023 season, Rouse played in and started all 12 games for the Sooners, where for his performance he was named Big-12 honorable mention.[15] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Rouse declared for the 2024 NFL draft.[16]

Professional career

edit
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 5 34 in
(1.97 m)
313 lb
(142 kg)
35 18 in
(0.89 m)
10 18 in
(0.26 m)
5.23 s 1.84 s 2.94 s 4.83 s 7.89 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)
9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[17][18][19]

Personal life

edit

Rouse is the grandson of former NBA player Vic Rouse, who is most famous for hitting the game-winning shot as time expired in the overtime period of the 1963 NCAA championship game.[20][21] He is also the grandson of C. Payne Lucas, who founded Africare, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for people in Africa.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Stephen Forrester". LinkedIn. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Blanchat, Jack (September 14, 2018). "3-star OL Walter Rouse commits to Stanford". Rule of Tree. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Rayburn, Jacob (September 14, 2018). "Stanford gets commitment from high upside OT Walter Rouse". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Hanich, Michael (January 12, 2023). "Walter Rouse, veteran Stanford OL transfer, announces B1G commitment". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Walter Rouse, Offensive Lineman". Sports Illustrated. July 31, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Hoover, John (April 7, 2023). "Smart, Experienced and Big Only Begin to Describe Oklahoma OT Walter Rouse". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Hoover, John (January 14, 2023). "Oklahoma Lands Commitment from Stanford Offensive Lineman". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Sipple, Steven (January 12, 2023). "Three takes on Nebraska's addition of Walter Rouse from the transfer portal". On3.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Callahan, Sean (January 12, 2023). "Nebraska picks up transfer portal commitment from Stanford offensive lineman Walter Rouse". On3.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Sjuts, Kevin (January 12, 2023). "Stanford lineman Rouse commits to Huskers". KOLN. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Lederman, Eli (February 16, 2023). "Sooners transfer OT Walter Rouse is at peace with his portal flip from Nebraska to OU". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Bland, Evan (January 11, 2023). "Stanford transfer Walter Rouse commits to Nebraska". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Lederman, Eli (August 10, 2023). "Transfer OT Walter Rouse, a key piece on the offensive line, off on the right foot at OU". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Tineo, Andrew (January 14, 2023). "Oklahoma adds key offensive lineman: Stanford transfer Walter Rouse". Dallas News. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Martinez, Justin (February 13, 2024). "Oklahoma football: Former Sooners invited to 2024 NFL Combine". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Schultz, Nick (January 2, 2024). "Oklahoma OL Walter Rouse declares for 2024 NFL Draft". On3.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "Walter Rouse Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  18. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Walter Rouse College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "2024 Pro Day - University of Oklahoma". SoonerSports.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  20. ^ Aber, Ryan (September 26, 2023). "OU football: Walter Rouse's push highlights OL play vs Cincinnati". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  21. ^ "OU football OL Walter Rouse's road to Sooners". The Oklahoman. September 7, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
edit