Jalon Walker’s lack of a place is a characteristic, not a bug within the 2025 NFL Draft

If there’s any participant within the 2025 NFL Draft consensus massive board that I completely love, it’s Georgia’s Jalon Walker. An EDGE/LB hybrid, Walker turned his one yr beginning at Georgia right into a season worthy of the Butkus award, notching 6.5 sacks and being the fulcrum of a Georgia protection that might stem fronts and alter the image rather a lot. Now, Walker enters the NFL as some of the coveted prospects within the class. In my post-Mix massive board he was the seventh ranked participant, and can greater than doubtless end as a top-10 participant on this complete draft class.

Getting into the draft, It’s not a query of how proficient Walker is, however the place you play him. Versatility will be such a very good factor within the NFL, however should you don’t have a longtime place, the trail to being a participant like Isaiah Simmons is fast. Walker is much less of a positionless participant, and extra of a participant who has a longtime place, however can line up in several alignments.

Let’s go forward and say this up entrance: Jalon Walker is an EDGE. He’s an EDGE as a result of should you watch him play and the place he’s at his greatest, he’s aligned out over a deal with or a guard, and working ahead as an alternative of dropping into protection. Georgia didn’t ask him to do many various issues dropping again, usually leaving that to LBs Smael Mondon Jr and CJ Allen, attributable to a few of Walker’s discomfort and stiffness in protection. Walker solely had 183 protection snaps this season, which is over 100 lower than many of the different high linebackers on this class. On high of that, Walker didn’t actually have a lot obligations in protection, dropping to the weak flat or hook space the place much less go targets have been. I feel deploying him as a stack linebacker can be a poor use of his instruments, and restrict the creativity that he brings to the desk.

He’s a very solidly constructed participant at 6’1 and 243 kilos, however one in every of his drawbacks is his 32-inch arms. In accordance with Mockdraftable, he can be under the 33.5 inch mark of the common EDGE that attended the Mix. Nonetheless, I feel he makes use of his lack of size relatively nicely in comparison with different undersized EDGE defenders. Towards the run, he can get a bit nosey on the sting, peeking his head inside when he’s presupposed to set the sting, however when he’s on the road of scrimmage he doesn’t keep blocked. You’ll be able to’t block him with tight ends, as a result of he’ll simply dodge round them on break up move blocks and make performs within the backfield.

He’s an instinctual run defender, which is able to result in him typically guessing incorrect on the sting however when he’s proper he causes havoc within the backfield. When used as a stack linebacker, Walker is a hammer coming ahead within the run recreation, and his relentless nature provides him numerous splash as a run defender.

As a go rusher, he’s distinctive … however in a great way! He’s bought shorter arms, however his palms are within the ninetieth percentile and heavy as SHIT. When he’s capable of get his palms right into a linemen’s chest, he can win numerous reps, which is stunning for a man that’s an undersized go rusher. His go-to exterior go rush is one the place he places his inside hand within the linemen’s chest, however makes use of his exterior hand to seize the wrist of the offensive lineman, clearing up his path to the surface. His highly effective and powerful palms mixed with an amazing get off give him a lot extra of a pathway to win, and it exhibits on tape and within the superior metrics. This can be a good instance of it towards Notre Dame. The proper deal with places his exterior hand out, however Walker grabs it and creates his personal lane by means of sheer power and can, and will get a stress that forces an incompletion.

He does it towards Texas as nicely, however that is the place his counters begin to are available in. He grabs the surface hand of the suitable deal with, however as an alternative of forcing his approach to the sting, he dips again inside and forces the QB to maneuver off his spot.

Staying out on the sting, Walker can also use an inside rip counter that basically exhibits off his explosion and urgency on the surface. It’s not at all times constant, however Walker has proven the go rush potential on the inside and outside to actually be impactful as a full time go rusher.

Let’s speak in regards to the phrase “versatility” together with Jalon Walker. Like I mentioned up high, for each Zack Baun, you get an Isaiah Simmons, guys with out established positions who find yourself floating round looking for a sticking level. For achievement tales like Baun this previous yr, it occurred due to giving him a solidified position at linebacker, whereas having the ability to transfer him alongside the sting to alter the fronts and create totally different appears to be like.

For Walker, he has a longtime position as an EDGE defender–and a very good one at that. Nonetheless, he turns into extra invaluable when you’ve got the choice to make use of him as a spinner to unlock favorable matchups for him or create alternatives for others on protection. On the planet that we reside in defensively, simulated pressures and having guys who can line up in several alignments without having to sacrifice our bodies to defend the go is an effective factor, and Walker will be the engine of a go protection in that type. As a blitzer, you’ll be able to line him up over guards and he can create havoc that means, as he does with this fast inside transfer that forces the QB to step right into a sack:

Or he will be the spy on cellular QBs, as he did towards lots of Georgia’s opponents:

If he’s going ahead, Walker generally is a monster defender for a artistic defensive coordinator.

General, if we’re asking the query of what to do with Jalon Walker, I feel Walker answered it himself:

Walker is a rattling good soccer participant, however as an EDGE defender he will be every little thing {that a} trendy protection needs to be.