Cat Scratch Reader
A Jalon Walker skeptic takes another look to see what all the hype is about.
The buzz on social media connecting the Carolina Panthers to Georgia’s Jalon Walker has reached a new peak after interviews from the “Up and Adams” show have been clipped and shared repeatedly across every platform imaginable.
I’ll be honest, to this point I’ve not been a huge fan of Walker’s. Which is why I figure it will be a fruitful exercise to dive into his profile to see if I’ve written him off sooner than I should have. After all, with so many prominent and well respected analyst like Dane Brugler, Daniel Jeremiah and Field Yates absolutely in love with the player, it can’t hurt to take another, more intense look.
Before going into this second look, this is how I viewed Walker’s profile in relation to being the Panthers selection at 8th overall:
Walker is a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher, signified by his 195 pass rush snaps during the 2024 season (including playoffs), the highest of any linebacker in PFF’s system. The under-developed instincts and coverage ability make it hard to value him as a top 10 pick as an off-ball linebacker. While explosive as an edge rusher, his measurables are a major concern, especially when considering that the Panthers have sought out players with ideal measurables in all of their recent transactions at the position. While there is value in hybrid players like Frankie Luvu or Andrew Van Ginkel, that role is usually the fallback plan for a player when they’ve been unsuccessful in other roles and not one prioritized with a top 10 selection.
So, in order for me to view Walker as worthy of the 8th overall selection, I want to project him spending most of his time in the NFL as an edge defender who can rush the passer. I want Walker to have a true home position in the NFL where he can spend most of his time developing and then can branch out from there. Frankly, I don’t yet trust the creativity of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to use Walker as position-less player, and the Panthers desperate need of pass rush production only makes me feel stronger about this opinion.
The number one issue with Walker’s projection at edge defender is his size. At the NFL Combine, Walker measured in at the combine at 6’1, 243 lbs with 32 inch arms and 10.25 inch hands. Among edges, those numbers would be in the 2nd, 6th, 5th and 79th percentile - according to Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus.
However, the combine measurements for a number of 2025 prospects have been under heavy scrutiny this year with the Pro Day measurements being considered the more accurate of the two this draft cycle. At Georgia’s exhibition, Walker’s arm length came in at a more respectable 32.625 inches (taken from Brugler’s draft guide “The Beast”), up to the 17th percentile at edge according to Mockdraftable.com.
To me, the argument for...
