2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker

All my scouting notes on the strengths, concerns, usage/role, skill set summary, NFL comparison and grade/projection for Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker

Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker

Height: 6-2
Weight: 245
Birthdate: 2/24/04 (21 year-old rookie)
Production: 43 games, 89 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 19 TFL, 3 PBUs
Injuries: None
Games Watched: All 2024 DL/EDGE plays (254 snaps)

Strengths

• Despite not having ideal mass or length for the edge, Walker has a rocked up frame and certainly isn’t slight in his build
• Might be undersized for an EDGE, but he plays with tremendous physicality and toughness, consistently displaying high effort and a real edge to his demeanor
• Excellent burst off the ball from a 2-point stance. Didn’t see that in his linebacker tape, but it was consistently on display in his edge defender tape
• Pass rush athleticism traits are there, even if you have to watch a lot of tape to notice them. Can burst, accelerate up the arc, corner at the apex and change directions in space
• Rapid foot fire and lightning stop/start really aid his limited bag of pass rush tricks because he can simply cross face on opposing tackles faster than most. Consistently able to threaten the inside shoulder despite raw hand usage
• Some of the more technical pass rush moves aren’t present yet, but Walker loves the long arm and has the power and pad level to make it work. Huge skill for a smaller edge defender
• Does a good job keeping his eyes on the quarterback and working back to the level of the ball rather than taking himself out of the play constantly with high side rushes
• In unblocked situations, consistently stepped into pullers with thunderous collisions, working hard to get through blocks and make stops
• Really strong tackler and gets ball carriers on the ground, even when making extension tackles outside his frame
• Gap-slipping potential as a front line defender, quick and slippery to avoid blocks
• Edge-setting has some concerns, but pad level, extension and physicality shouldn’t be in question
• Can absolutely be a threat to kick inside on long/late downs and beat guards in pass rush obvious situations due to his side-to-side movement skills and physicality. Most of his pass rush success came in this way in college. Similar to Chop Robinson in that way.

Concerns

• Combine will be big to determine just how special of an athlete he is, and if he has the physical measurables to play edge defender
• Shedding blocks as an edge defender was difficult, little impact when he isn’t kept clean the entire play
• Can get engulfed by bigger, stronger offensive lineman, even when his technique is good
• Pass rush arsenal is limited, not much of a plan off the edge and can get stuck on blocks
• Needs to find a go-to process as a pass rusher, which could definitely happen with more reps on the edge
• How bendy is he? He looks a bit stiff at times moving in space, but as a pass rusher he definitely flashed the ability to corner. Just not enough reps to get a great feel for how much that will translate to the NFL.
• On the ground too often and will lose his balance trying to play fast at times
• Still learning to process the game as an edge defender, particularly against the run.
• Almost everything in the “Strengths” section is small sample size theater, due to lack of true edge defender reps on tape, especially against quality competition. Bold projection to think he’ll be an every down edge in the NFL

Ideal Role/Usage

Walker played 254 snaps on the defensive line this past season, dropping into coverage on a handful of those plays. So any projection of him as an every down edge defender in the NFL is a pretty big one. However, that’s the job. Walker is clearly a prospect getting Round 1 hype, so we’ve gotta figure out where he’ll play best in the NFL.

I was pretty negative when evaluating Walker as a linebacker who kicked to the defensive line on occasion, but after thinking further about his projection, I decided to watch all his college defensive line snaps together, with snaps from all other alignments weeded out.

I’ll talk about the evaluation below, but the bottom line is that it’s probably going to be easier for Walker to learn to be an edge defender than to master off-ball linebacker, one of the most cerebral and instinctive positions in the sport. Walker’s size will be interesting to track at the Combine, but his athletic traits suggest upside as a true edge defender who can move around the front line on long and late downs.

Summary

It’s not hard to evaluate Walker, but it is difficult to project him to the NFL. In fact, it took revisiting his tape for a second time with a more specific scope to finally feel excited about where he could end up at the next level. I watched all 254 of his defensive line snaps straight through, without the interruption of linebacker or slot/overhang reps. This gave me a better feel for how he rushes over the course of a game without being distracted by the other things that he doesn’t do as well.

From watching his linebacker tape, I knew that he was a good linear blitzer attacking guards and backs with euro-steps and swims, but that’s a far cry from learning to corner or speed/counter as an outside rusher. Watching more of his pure edge rusher snaps, I gained more appreciation for his traits and his play demeanor.

Walker is an exceptionally physical player, who plays with violence, pad level and good take-on technique on the edge. He can absolutely get engulfed by bigger lineman and perhaps getting off blocks will be a bit of a struggle, but Walker is quick enough to avoid blockers and physical enough to battle them for position. Maybe he won’t win every skirmish in the NFL, but I think his athletic traits combined with his play style will be enough to let him make plays that offset some of the mass/length concerns.

One of the most frustrating things about Walker as a linebacker is the same thing I felt most excited about after watching his edge defender snaps: his functional athleticism. At linebacker, I thought Walker’s explosiveness was rarely on display, and all the processing required and the debris to work through really slowed him down. As an edge defender, his job is more simple and he can play much faster.

As a result, Walker flashed a handful of top-notch get-off plays this past season, making me a little more confident in his first step when he knows what the assignment is. The explosiveness is definitely in there, and pass rushing showcased some of his best traits. Walker didn’t rush enough to get a strong feel as to whether he can be a great high-side rusher, but his burst, speed up the arc and change-of-direction are good indicators that he can be an outside/inside threat on passing downs.

What I like about Walker the most is that he has no hesitations trying to bull rush his opponent, often deploying a long arm or driving through the chest of the opposing tackle. The results are mixed, and the sample size is small, but I’m thrilled that in a limited pass rush sample, he consistently tried to attack outside, inside and through his opponent. That gives me hope he won’t be a finesse pass rusher in the NFL.

Of course, Walker’s pass rush plan and his hand usage still need to be developed. But he flashed enough as an interior blitzer with clubs and swims that I think he’ll pick things up on the edge quickly. If he can learn to cross chop, ghost move and snatch/rip on the edge, Walker could turn into one of the great developmental stories in the class.

Now, the sample size of “good stuff” off the edge is small, so his Combine is going to be massive. Does he truly have elite traits, or did he beat up on some weaker tackles at times? Is he big enough to play on the edge in the NFL, or would he be a mass/length outlier?

A week ago, I wrote that I was pretty much out on Walker as a linebacker or a defensive chess piece. After chatting with Dane Brugler, I listened to his suggestion to study Walker purely as an edge defender. It’s definitely a projection, but I think he has the skills and traits to pull it off. Walker will be one of the most fascinating prospects in this draft to watch over the next couple months and even beyond. But I now get the hype more than I originally did, at least for those projecting him as an edge defender.

Grade/Projection

Walker is a project, but pass rush traits are coveted, and it sure appears he has them. My grade will finalize when his Combine results come through in a couple weeks, but the consensus seems to be that he is a lock to go in Round 1.