NFL Draft film room: Jalon Walker the hybrid playmaker

This linebacker/edge rusher should be on the Raiders’ radar

Georgia’s Jalon Walker is one of the most interesting prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. After primarily serving as a rotational pass-rusher during his first two years with the Bulldogs, Walker took on a bigger role this past season by taking snaps as an off-ball linebacker.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders have an immediate need at linebacker and could use an edge rusher for the long haul since Malcolm Koonce is only on a one-year contract. In other words, the Georiga product should be on the Raiders’ radar.

Hybrid defenders have become more popular in the NFL over the last few years and Walker fits that description to a ‘T’. According to Pro Football Focus, he logged 622 total snaps last season with 311 coming in the box, 61 over the slot and 249 on the line of scrimmage. On top of that, 249 of his snaps came against the run, 195 as a pass-rusher and 178 were in coverage.

The 21-year-old has the potential to impact the game in several ways, as the clips below highlight.

Despite the position switch, Walker was still primarily used as an edge rusher on third downs last season and had a ton of success. Per PFF, he racked up 34 pressures and 6.5 sacks on fewer than 200 opportunities while recording an impressive 17.2 percent pass-rush win rate.

The former Bulldog has good use of hands and an impressive long-arm move (among others) to win around the edge, both of which are seen in the clip above.

Walker fires off the ball and immediately throws the long-arm, landing it perfectly on the right tackle’s chest to create some extension on the rep. Then, he does a great job of using his other hand to get the tackle’s hand off his neck and win around the edge, helping to create a shorter corner. Finally, his chase-down speed comes into play as he closes on the quarterback to get the sack.

As an off-ball linebacker, Walker can contribute as a pass-rusher by being an effective quarterback spy. The clip above is a staple play call for Kirby Smart against athletic QBs where Georgia rushes the three down linemen and has a backer “blitz”, but the backer’s involvement in the pass rush is just to mirror the quarterback.

So, when the two edge rushers win and force Arch Manning out of the pocket, that’s Walker’s time to pounce. And, similar to the previous rep, he has the closing speed to chase Manning down and get a sack, putting Texas well behind the sticks.

This doesn’t get talked about enough with edge defenders, but their ability to make plays when unblocked on the backside of run plays is important. This play is a great example of how Walker can contribute in this area.

Clemson leaves him unblocked on the read option and he keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage so he can make a play on the quarterback if the quarterback keeps the ball. Thus, that influences the handoff.

Simultaneously, Walker “squeezes” or works flat down the line of scrimmage to still be in a position to make the tackle on the running back. Once he sees the running back get the rock, that’s where his speed comes into play again for a chase-down tackle right at the line of scrimmage.

This is teach-tape material on how an edge defender can effectively take away both options against the read option.

More commonly discussed, setting the edge is obviously a big part of playing the run as an edge defender, too. Here, Walker doesn’t have a clean strike as his outside hand gets wide and that eliminates his extension on the block.

However, he takes on offensive tackle with a wide base and has the strength to hold his ground at the point of attack. Then, the former Bulldog uses his strength to shed the block and fight through some holding to get a tackle for loss when the quarterback tries to bounce outside.

Walker made this rep harder on himself by not landing his hands well initially, but that almost makes this play even more impressive as he showed the strength and athleticism to still make the tackle in the backfield.

On the second level, we’ll see some similar traits to help Walker make an impact against the run. Again, he has the strength at the point of attack to gain control of the block, and the clip above is a good example of how much extension he can get when he keeps his hands tight, bench-pressing the left tackle to create some separation.

That allows the linebacker to shed the block and pursue the football. While he doesn’t make the tackle here, Walker is in a perfect position to bring the ball carrier down had No. 2 not been there or missed.

Arguably the biggest issue with Walker’s projection to the next level is he’s unproven in coverage. During his three-year college career, PFF only has him taking 265 snaps in coverage and seeing just 22 total targets for 15 catches and 141 yards.

Obviously, that’s partially due to his position switch and the fact Georgia still used him as a pass-rusher on third downs in 2024. However, he does have the athletic ability to contribute in coverage by rallying and tackling.

Walker is playing that spy technique previously mentioned in the rep above, but the offense runs a screen this time so he can’t rush the passer. Instead, he recognizes the play design and shows off that speed once again to get involved in the tackle right at the line of scrimmage.

Overall, Walker fits the recent trend in the NFL of using hybrid linebackers, like what the Washington Commanders do with Frankie Luvu, the Atlanta Falcons with Kaden Elliss or what Kyle Van Noy used to be with the New England Patriots.

Whether or not that role is worth the sixth overall pick of the draft is up for debate, but NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently had the Georgia product going fifth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Plus, Walker could help fill a couple of voids on the Raiders’ defense and could thrive with a creative defensive coordinator like Patrick Graham.