2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Jalon Walker, edge, Georgia

Is Walker the consolation prize?

The class of edge defenders could be the driving force in the 2025 NFL Draft.

This year’s EDGE class is going to determine how the first round plays out and we could see a run on pass rusher start almost immediately in the first round. Georgia edge defender Jalon Walker could be the prospect who kicks that run off, thanks to impressive athleticism and an incredibly versatile skill set.

Walker is a compact, explosive athlete and was used all over the field by Georgia’s defense. He has the potential to be a disruptive force in the NFL, and he won’t have to wait long to hear his name called.

Prospect: Jalon Walker (11)
Games Watched: vs. Clemson (2024), vs. Alabama (2024), vs. Texas (2024), vs. Tennessee (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Versatility
• First step explosiveness
• Lower body fluidity
• Competitive toughness

Jalon Walker is a compact, dense edge defender with great explosiveness, lower-body fluidity, and impressive versatility.

Walker is short for an NFL edge defender at 6-foot-1, however he packs plenty of muscle on his frame at 243 pounds. He’s built like an old-school fullback, yet his physique belies excellent athleticism. He has an explosive get-off as well as solid quickness, agility, and bend around the edge.

He does a great job of timing the snap and wastes no movement or energy in his first step. Walker fires into the backfield with excellent initial leverage and is a handful for most offensive tackles. He’s equally explosive from a two or three-point stance, and should be able to play in a wide variety of schemes at the NFL level.

He’s a hard hitter and has a solid technical foundation. His hands could use polishing at the NFL level, but they’re heavy and he understands how to attack blockers’ hands to minimize drag as he passes through the line of scrimmage.

Walker was used all over the Georgia defense, playing a similar “Swiss Army Knife” role as Leonard Floyd, Lorenzo Carter, and Nolan Smith in prior years. He played on both the left and right sides on the defensive line, as an off-ball SAM and WILL linebacker, and even lined up as a MIKE linebacker on occasion. Walker was also used as a coverage player to help disguise blitzes and executed those zone drops well. He doesn’t simply occupy space and muddy reads, but is actually capable of effectively picking up tight ends or running backs in coverage.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Overall length

The single biggest weakness in Walker’s profile is his lack of length.

His height, 6-foot-1, could be viewed as an advantage thanks to his dense build and the natural leverage it gives him. However, it’s paired with 32-inch arms which fall well below the NFL’s archetype for the position.

Walker’s lack of length shows up multiple times throughout his tape, and he often needs to get great extension simply to match offensive tackles. His rushes are considerably messier when he isn’t able to use his burst to get his hands on blockers first. He’s able to fight through latched-on blocks, however it slows his rushes significantly and he can arrive at the play late.

Game Tape

(Walker is the Georgia EDGE wearing number 11.)

Projection

Jalon Walker projects as a starting edge in a multiple defense at the NFL level.

Walker could probably play in almost any defense commonly run in the NFL, however a modern “multiple” defense would allow him to use the full breadth of his skill set. Walker doesn’t have ideal measurables, and could slide a bit because of that.

However, he’s a remarkably versatile defender who should be an impact player in the NFL. He has the potential to be a real terror with a bit of work if he lands in a blitz-happy scheme.

Does he fit the Giants?
Yes, though the value may not align

Final Word: A first-round talent