Inside Falcons Plan for Jalon Walker

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- After Georgia's pro day March 12, Jalon Walker referred to Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's plan for him as "visionary."

Now, Ulbrich gets to bring his plan to life, as Atlanta selected Walker, a versatile linebacker and edge rusher, at No. 15 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft April 24.

So, about that vision? The Falcons have a rough draft of what it looks like -- an understandable stage to be in with OTAs not starting until May 27.

The principle of Atlanta's plan for Walker centers around the 6'1", 243-pounder playing as an "edge element," Ulbrich said April 26, putting Walker in the group with outside linebackers and defensive ends.

"On 1st and 2nd down, I want, especially Jalon, to really have an opportunity to just master playing on the edge because I think there's something there that's really special," Ulbrich said. "Give him an opportunity just to have one home initially and become as good as he can at that.

"Then, from a third down perspective, we can get creative with him and that'll be part of his superpower."

Walker said he's been a "versatile piece" since high school, and Georgia certainly capitalized on it. He played 311 snaps at linebacker and 249 snaps on the line of scrimmage in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Salisbury, North Carolina, native led Georgia with 10.5 tackles for loss last season and tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks. He added 22 quarterback hurries and 34 total pressures, per PFF.

Walker, 21, plans on doing whatever the Falcons want him to do. He noted he's played inside and outside linebacker and even dabbled at nickel corner -- he saw 61 snaps there last season.

And regardless of where Atlanta puts him, Walker believes he'll have an instant impact.

"Wherever they want to put me, I'll be able to play and plug," Walker said. "I'm just excited to get to Atlanta and start figuring out that game plan."

Walker is small for prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker standards. According to MockDraftable, Walker falls in the ninth percentile for height, 14th percentile for arm length (32 inches), 50th for weight and 54th for wingspan (79 7/8 inches) dating back to 1999.

Ulbrich, however, has no concerns about Walker's size, citing his past stint with outside linebacker Bryce Huff. Ulbrich was the New York Jets' defensive coordinator from 2021-23, during which he saw Huff's progression from two sacks in 2021 and 3.5 sacks in 2022 to 10.5 sacks in 2023.

"Him and Jalon are very similar athletes, similar size," Ulbrich said. "They do a lot of things in a similar way. That’s a guy I've had just lately that had tremendous success playing on the edge and edge only, where I think Jalon might have maybe a little bit more versatility to his game, and he could do a little bit more off the ball internally: blitz, drop, etc."

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris lauded Walker's character -- Morris said, "If you met the kid in person, you would fall in with him" -- and how much he meant to Georgia's program behind closed doors.

Terry Fontenot, Atlanta's fifth-year general manager, said he didn't need to read the character or makeup section of Walker's scouting report because his down-to-down play style shows everything necessary.

Fontenot, of course, still dug into Walker's character -- the two had an extensive conversation April 11 at the Falcons' local pro day -- and Fontenot said Walker is an "unbelievable person."

Atlanta is similarly enamored with Walker's on-field skill set. Morris noted the various places Walker can rush from, and his ability to set strong edges on rushing downs. Ulbrich said Walker stands for everything the Falcons feel football should embody.

It's especially true for Ulbrich, who wants his defense to be multiple and versatile. Perhaps nobody in the 2025 draft class fits the bill better than Walker, who Morris anticipates doing a variety of things while mastering the edge position.

"Being able to come off the edge, being able to move around," Morris said of his plan for Walker as a pass rusher. "He's very self-aware. He'll kind of tell you what he thinks he is, and he's 30% off the edge, 30% blitz into a gap. He can do some different things in the back end. He can drop. He can do all kinds of different things, so he's definitely a threat.

"He definitely provides a threat for us that will allow us to utilize him in the most captivating ways. We’ve got a lot of coaches up there that are just gunning to use him and gunning to find different ways to get it done. I just can't say enough good things about him. "

Walker's initial description of the Falcons' plan for him centered around versatility. He said wherever he ends up is where he'll flourish and give his all -- he's just excited to find his niche.

And no matter where Walker plants his flag on the Falcons' defense, Atlanta feels confident he'll meet his lofty first-round expectations.

"He's one of those guys that, when you know who he is as a person, he’s just one of those guys that won't fail," Fontenot said.