First round (15th overall ): Jalon Walker, Georgia
Age: 21. Height: 6-foot-1. Weight: 243 pounds. Arms: 32 inches. Hands: 10¼ inches. Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina.
Overview: He was named the Dick Butkus Award winner, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top linebacker. He was an Associated Press third-team All-American pick. He was the third-leading tackler with 60 tackles and led the team with 10.5 tackles for loss. The Falcons can move him around the defense and have him rush opposite defensive tackles David Onyemata or Ruke Orhorhoro in passing situations like the Eagles used Nolan Smith with Jalen Carter, both also former Georgia Bulldogs. Walker’s father, Curtis, played at NCAA Division II Catawba College, and was an All-American linebacker. He went to become head coach at Catawba.
Former Falcons coach Mike Smith: "Jalon Walker from Georgia is one of my favorite prospects this year. He is a stud. I really like what he brings to the game. He’s a high-motor guy, and he is relentless. When he gets wound up, he is hard to stop.
“He has the ability to play off the ball as a linebacker, but (the Falcons) will make sure that the majority of the time, he is going to be rushing the passer, even if he hasn’t got his hand in the dirt in a three-point stance.
“He’s a special player.”
Pro Football Network NFL draft analyst Ian Cummings: The Falcons went right down to the wire with their pick at 15th overall, but they ultimately stayed put and selected Georgia’s Jalon Walker. Walker was projected as high as the top 10 at times in the 2025 NFL draft cycle, but his value is more preferable in the middle of the first, where the Falcons scooped him up. In Raheem Morris’ odd-front scheme, the Falcons no doubt view Walker as an EDGE, but his projection has been a point of contention for NFL draft experts across the space. At 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, with 32-inch arms, he’s undersized for a full-time EDGE role, but he has the explosiveness, bend, agility, speed-to-power, and relentless motor to give tackles fits from wider alignments. The Falcons no doubt hope that Walker will infuse their defensive front with desperately needed pass-rush competence."
AJC’S 2025 POSITION-BY-POSITION DRAFT SERIES
Part 1, DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Michigan’s Mason Graham heads a deep defensive tackle group | Top 10 defensive linemen
Part 2, LINEBACKERS Georgia’s Jalon Walker one of top defenders in the NFL draft | Top 10 linebackers
Part 3, CORNERBACKS Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter hopes to play both ways | Top 10 cornerbacks
Part 4, PASS RUSHERS Draft is full with an array of pass-rushing options | Top 10 pass rushers
Part 5, SAFETIES Georgia’s Malaki Starks, Dan Jackson pro safety prospects | Top 10 safeties
Part 6, OFFENSIVE LINEMEN How early will former Georgia center Jared Wilson go in the NFL draft? | Top 10 offensive linemen
Part 7, TIGHT ENDS Penn State’s Tyler Warren is no Brock Bowers, but he’s pretty darn good | Top 10 tight ends
Part 8, WIDE RECEIVERS Wide receivers ‘OK,’ but lack star power of recent years | Top 10 wide receivers
Part 9, RUNNING BACKS Trevor Etienne among running backs hoping to surprise in rookie year | Top 10 running backs
Part 10, SPECIAL-TEAMS PLAYERS With kickoff return emphasized, NFL teams looking for game-breakers in this year’s draft | Top special teamers
Part 11, QUARTERBACKS Fewer quarterback prospects for this year’s NFL draft after record-setting 2024 | Top 10 quarterbacks
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