Jalon Walker Scouting Report
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Tim Warner/Getty Images)
School: Georgia
Class: Junior
Position: LB
HT: 6’2
WT: 245 lbs
Background: Jalon Walker was a consensus 5-star linebacker in the class of 2022 out of Salisbury, North Carolina. Walker was the 2nd ranked player in North Carolina and was a top 3 linebacker in the class. On top of playing linebacker for Salisbury High School, Walker also saw action at tight end. He led his team to the playoffs in each season and was Player of the Year on the Charlotte area. Alongside football, Walker competed in track & field and basketball for Salisbury. Jalon Walker committed to Georgia over the other top SEC programs and Ohio State.
College: In both 2022 and 2023, Walker was a reserve ILB, but he saw increased action on defense in 2023. He led the team in sacks with 5. Walker proved himself as a starter for Georgia in 2024. He won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and was an All-American First Team selection after finishing the season with 6.5 sacks and 10.5 TFLs.
Strengths: Jalon Walker is a violent pass rusher with active hands to deconstruct blocks. He has a large toolbox of pass rushing moves – winning with both speed and power. Not only does he have pass rush moves, but he has counter moves. He is very thorough in his process and consistently sets the edge. Walker is a great mover; he is fast and explosive off the line to shoot into the chest of linemen. While he may be smaller than the average edge rusher, he has incredible hip and ankle flexion to create bend around offensive tackles. These movement skills also help him in coverage. Georgia often dropped him back in coverage to take away shallow passing lanes. Walker has a quick trigger and can get downhill in a hurry. He can get from one side of the field to the other to make a play. He can play a variety of positions within the box and is scheme versatile.
Weaknesses: His size is a concern. Not only is he light, but he is shorter than the average for any of the positions he plays. He does not have a significantly large sample size as an edge rusher. We have not seen him succeed for an extended period of time at the position, which raises some questions about the sustainability of his size there. On the edge, he tends to work himself up field if he can’t win with speed, taking himself behind the play.
Conclusion: Jalon Walker is a good player that will need some time to develop at the next level. He will need to find the perfect role for himself instead of being a hybrid player between multiple positions. He is explosive, quick, and athletic, if he can refine his technique, he will be in the NFL for a long time.
Scheme Fit: Base 4-3
Ideal Role: OLB
Best Team Fits: CIN, BAL, MIA
Player Comparison: Matt Milano
Player Grade: Round 2 (87.7)
