jalona walker is been traded $103,000 to Atlanta falcons…News
The Atlanta Falcons, looking to improve a defense that ranked 31st in sacks and 29th in quarterback pressures in 2024, picked Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Walker, a versatile edge rusher and Butkus Award winner, brings speed and power to a team focused on getting after the quarterback. His selection is the first time the Falcons have taken a Georgia player in the first round, showing their plan to fix a pass rush that has struggled for more than 10 years.
Walker showed his playmaking skills during his three years at Georgia, finishing with a strong 2024 season. As a junior, he led the Bulldogs with 6.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries. He also made 61 total tackles, broke up two passes and recovered two fumbles. His top performance came against Texas, when he had three sacks, eight tackles and a fumble recovery. In 43 career games, including 11 starts last season, he totaled 12.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 89 tackles. He proved he can play both on the edge and as a traditional linebacker.
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said the team plans to start Walker off as a full-time edge rusher on early downs to help him grow in one role. “On first and second down, I want, especially Jalon, to really have an opportunity to just master playing on the edge because I think there’s something there that’s really special,” Ulbrich said.
“Give him an opportunity just to have one home initially and become as good as he can at that.” Ulbrich added that on third down, the team will get more creative with how they use Walker. “That’ll be part of his superpower,” he said.
Ulbrich compared Walker to edge rusher Bryce Huff, a player he coached with the Jets. “Him and Jalon are very similar athletes, similar size,” Ulbrich said. “They do a lot of things in a similar way. That’s a guy I’ve had just lately that had tremendous success playing on the edge and edge only, where I think Jalon might have maybe a little bit more versatility to his game, and he could do a little bit more off the ball internally: blitz, drop, etc.”
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris praised Walker’s character and the impact he had at Georgia. “If you met the kid in person, you would fall in love with him,” Morris said, noting how much Walker meant to the Bulldogs’ program behind the scenes.
Walker now enters Atlanta with high expectations, but the Falcons believe his mix of talent, versatility and character makes him the right fit to help reshape their defense. If he lives up to the vision laid out by the coaching staff, Walker could become a key piece in the team’s long-term success.
Walker now enters Atlanta with high expectations, but the Falcons believe his mix of talent, versatility and character makes him the right fit to help reshape their defense. If he lives up to the vision laid out by the coaching staff, Walker could become a key piece in the team’s long-term success.
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