Cardinals Can Upgrade Pass Rush With This LB

The Arizona Cardinals must leave the 2025 NFL Draft with standout players that can have immediate impacts for the team. This isn’t year to gamble on the “boom-or-bust” player. Rather, AZ as to prioritize someone ho can step in and produce from day one.

This series looks at the top prospects in the class, mainly those with a high-chance of being a day one pick, and their potential fit for the Cards.

The top needs for Arizona are some order of edge rusher, interior defensive line, and offensive line upgrades, with other positions like linebacker and wide receiver needing more depth.

It’s no secret that the Cardinals need to upgrade their pass rush especially off the edge. There aren’t currently any standout players who rush the passer full time and that can’t continue to be the case at the conclusion of the draft.

A player who intrigues me quite a bit is Jalon Walker. The Georgia Bulldog showed off the goods rushing the passer last season but with a twist – he primarily lines up at linebacker.

Walker is quite an interesting prospect given his versatility and I believe it may resonate strongly with this coaching staff.

Profile:

Former 5-Star recruit (2022)
2022 CFP National Champion
First-Team All-American (2024)
Second-Team All-SEC (2024)
Butkus Award winner (2024)
43 career games

The fit:

Walker screams “Cardinals linebacker.” After breaking out this past season, Walker showed off major versatility as a pass rusher despite playing from the linebacker spot rather than rushing off the edge.

A player like that, who can do multiple tasks on defense, is worth its weight in gold for Arizona.

Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis would love to get his hands on a guy like Walker. The last two seasons, Rallis has been trying to make Zaven Collins a rush linebacker to no avail… but that’s exactly what Walker already is.

The logic:

Building off what we just talked about, the Cardinals like versatility from their defenders and a guy like Walker who can rush the passer from the inside at linebacker or move to the edge is precisely what they’ve been searching for.

One must also remember that Arizona doesn’t have many feature pass rushers on the team, especially off the edge. The current group is unproven and/or returning from major injuries. There’s a need to add more viability to a pass rush that was more manufactured than effective in 2024.

Walker brings that pass rushing prowess, and he brings it from the linebacker spot.

Pass rushing upside? Check.

Versatility? Check. 

Day one role:

Walker should find immediate playing time for the Cards, but I believe he’ll have to work his way into a starting role. Arizona has a handful of linebackers they favor like the aforementioned Collins and Mack Wilson. Should pending free agent Kyzir White opt to re-sign with Arizona then that adds another wrinkle into Walker finding the field consistently.

But with all that being said, none of those linebackers rush the passer like Walker does. This could lead Walker to find an early role as a designated pass rusher for blitz packages. It could even help him find a starting role as an edge rusher.

I’ve been pretty stubborn that Walker should move to full-time edge rusher because he excels there but moving forward – and especially if he becomes a Cardinal – I believe that Walker is a linebacker who can play anywhere.