Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers reinforced their pass rush with a versatile chess piece in Jalon Walker, who can also play off the ball.
Prior to the 2024 season, the Chargers managed to retain both Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa who each chose to take a pay cut to stat together under first-year defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. The decision has firmly paid off as both have played roles in helping the Chargers to the number one scoring defense in the NFL.
Obviously Bosa hasn’t played nearly as much as Mack due to lingering injuries, but he’s nonetheless been an impact player when healthy enough to see the field. Still, Bosa’s availability is likely expediting his remaining time with the franchise. Going forward under Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz, it’s hard to imagine them continuing to pay for a player who has only been able to appear in 19 games over the past 2.5 seasons.
With this in mind, on top of Mack continuing to age like fine wine but age nonetheless, the Bolts will need to further address the future of the edge rusher group. In a new mock by Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, the Chargers used the 21st-overall pick to select Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, a multi-talented player who is as successful rushing the passer as he is playing off the ball and chasing ball carriers.
In almost three seasons with the Bulldogs, Walker has career stats of 63 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. While these may look a bit low for a standout player, it’s good to remember that Georgia uses a lot of players within their rotation and when they are up big, starters are pulled quite often.
In 2024, he’s on pace to set career highs across the board as he’s sitting with 34 tackles, six tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. With at least four games remaining, he needs just one TFL and sack, apiece, to set new high marks.
At 6’2 and 245 points, he has the makeup to play both positions, but may have to gain some mass/strength to hold up against 300-pound offensive tackles when setting the edge against the run. Walker wins most often with his athleticism and an explosive first step. His most impactful trait will be getting after quarterbacks, but he can also hold up when asked to drop into coverage from his edge alignment. Normally it’s not a great sign to see Khalil Mack or Tuli Tuipulotu dropping into a zone because it not only takes away the pass rush, but it also takes a player out of their element. Walker would be able to do all of this without missing much of a beat.
In the comments below, let us know how you’d feel about this pick! Do you agree? Disagree? Drop your thoughts!
