Watch: Falcons' interview with Jalon Walker at NFL Scouting Combine
The Atlanta Falcons entered the 2025 NFL draft with a clear need for an edge rusher, and they couldn't have asked for a better scenario in Round 1. Former Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, a projected top-10 pick, fell into Atlanta's lap at pick No. 15.
Not only did they land one of the few blue-chip pass rushers in the class, but the selected a Georgia player in the first round for the first time in the draft era. The Bulldogs standout thrived as an off-ball linebacker who split time on the edge.
The Falcons are expected to play Walker at outside linebacker this season, but they never expected him to be available in the first place. That was the assumption the team made following Walker's impressive NFL Scouting Combine interview.
Atlanta released a clip from the interview in which a confident Walker explains what makes him a great leader.
"At Georgia, I walked through the hallways a certain way," Walker told the Falcons brass. "I did things a certain way because that's the way you're supposed to do them. That was the standard."
WATCH: Jalon Walker's combine interview with Falcons
That was exactly what the Falcons wanted to hear, and one of the reasons they assumed he'd be long gone before the 15th pick in the draft. The coaching staff got a feel for Walker during their mandatory minicamp. Head coach Raheem Morris praised the rookie's "captain-like traits" at a recent press conference.
"He has like those captain-like traits," Morris said of Walker. "When you first meet him, you get that feel, you get that vibe from him. He'll be one of those guys that you can tell is gonna lead us in the future."
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