Undersized but not overlooked: Georgia LB Jalon Walker is a playmaker

He might be a bit of a tweener, but he'll make plays wherever you line him up.

Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker (11) celebrates after sacking TCU quarterback Chandler Morris (2) during the second half of the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. News Joshua L Jones / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Undersized but not overlooked: Georgia LB Jalon Walker is a playmaker

1. Get to know the name Jalon Walker
2. His field day against Kentucky in the big win for Georgia Football
3. Looking at the 2025 NFL Draft stock of Jalon Walker

Georgia Football and NFL Draft talent. We have seen plenty of it over the years, and this year will be no different. However, one name that might go overlooked but shouldn't is versatile linebacker Jalon Walker.

While Walker might lack the length and size of a traditional edge rusher, and may not have the body of work as a true and pure linebacker, Walker is a jack of all trades along the Bulldogs defense. He can get after quarterbacks off the edge, stuff a gap from the second level in a run fit, and is even starting to develop a bit of a feel in coverage.

He may be undersized, but Walker is not overlooked as he looks to build his 2025 NFL Draft stock in his true junior season in Athens. Let's get to know the dynamic defender:

Get to know the name Jalon Walker

Georgia Football has produced NFL talent at a high level over the last decade, and Walker will not hear his name talked about in the same light as his teammates like quarterback Carson Beck, safety Malaki Starks, or pass rusher Mykel Williams. This does not make him any less of a playmaker on that Bulldogs defense as he looks to prove he can be an asset at the NFL level as well.

A true junior, there is a chance that Walker goes back to school as well instead of declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. However, he has the resume of a player who will be drafted, make a 53-man roster at the NFL level, and hang around for quite some time.

He led the Bulldogs in sacks a year ago with five, and now is a full-time starter for the Bulldogs, wearing a multitude of hats. He has lined up off the edge on 53 snaps this season, and at the second level as a linebacker on 37 snaps through three weeks. Walker has proven capable to stick his nose in the A-gap as well to muddy up the interior for opposing offensive lines.

He is an asset for the Georgia defense, and it showed against the Kentucky Wildcats.

His field day against Kentucky in the big win for Georgia Football

Against Kentucky, Walker was the best player on the field in a game where Georgia got punched in the mouth for 58 minutes. He lined up at the second level, off the edge, and even in the A-gap, causing the Wildcats headaches wherever he stepped onto the field at. Georgia did not deserve to win that game but won it on the backs of efforts like they got from Walker.

His explosiveness and bend were on full display, racking up eight total pressures, three hits on his former teammate Brock Vandagriff, five hurries, one batted ball, and two stop tackles that resulted in a negative play for the Kentucky offense. He was all over the field and frequently in the backfield.

If you need a SAM/DPR at the next level in the mid-rounds, Georgia LB/EDGE Jalon Walker is your guy. A bit of a tweener, Walker has some size constraints but is an absolute sawed-off shotgun on the field.

He had an absolute field day against Kentucky: 8 pressures, 3 QB hits, 5… pic.twitter.com/xVJHoRTonh

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) September 17, 2024

As a result, I gave Walker a helmet sticker in the latest episode of the Daft on Draft Podcast that is on the On SI Podcast Network. You can hear the full episode of the Daft on Draft Podcast on Apple,Spotify, or YouTube.

Looking at the 2025 NFL Draft stock of Jalon Walker

When looking at Walker's 2025 NFL Draft stock, however, things get a bit more complicated. Body typing is an important aspect of projecting a guy to the next level, and Walker is a tweener. He is listed at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, but it likely sitting around 6-foot-0. He will not be a fulltime edge rusher at the NFL level.

However, he also does not have the resume on his film as a full-time linebacker either. Can he backpedal and find a feel in coverage? Can he desconstruct blocks and take on contact in the hole consistently to play MIKE?

These complications with his projection to the NFL level are why he will likely hear his name called in the middle rounds of the draft.

However, Walker's best projection feels like that of a base SAM linebacker who you can kick into the box on obvious passing situations as a designated pass rusher. He has proven to cause chaos when lined up along the interior of the defense, standing up in the A-gap. He can beat interior offensive linemen around their outside shoulder, and can give a defensive coordinator the versatility to cook up fun defensive games up front.

Base SAM linebackers, however, only play about 15 snaps per game. This again contributes to his draft stock hanging around the middle rounds. However, if you told me I could get a playmaker like Walker for the cost of a pick between picks 100 and 175, I would take that risk in a heartbeat.

Walker is not the best player on that Georgia defense, but wears many hats for them and is a significant cog in their success. Even at the NFL level, defensive coordinators will find a way to get this guy on the field.

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