The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock and staring at a pretty familiar picture. They’ve got their franchise quarterback, a top-tier receiving corps, and… a defense that doesn’t quite hold up its end of the deal. Cincinnati’s 2024 campaign was derailed by inconsistency and a defense that too often asked Joe Burrow to play superhero. Firing Lou Anarumo was step one. The draft is step two.
With big money poured into Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, it’s no secret this draft will lean defense-heavy. Trey Hendrickson’s future is up in the air, the linebacking corps is aging and thin, and the Bengals desperately need someone who can actually finish a play behind the line of scrimmage. Enter Georgia’s Jalon Walker, one of the most explosive—and perplexing—defensive prospects in the entire class.
Walker’s tape is a choose-your-own-adventure. One rep he’s an edge rusher crashing in with violent hands and elite burst. The next, he’s buzzing around in space looking like an off-ball linebacker with range to cover. His role at Georgia was part chess piece, part wild card. The Bengals, who need answers at both edge and linebacker, might be the perfect team to unlock the full version.
Georgia LB Jalon Walker 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Notes
- Height: 6-foot-2
- Weight: 245 pounds
- Recruiting: 2022 4-star, No. 46 national, No. 4 LB
- 2024 Butkus Award Winner, Second-Team All-SEC, Third-Team AP All-American
- Father was All-American LB at Division II Catawba University, brother Curtis Jr. plays CB at Georgia State
Positives
- Elite explosiveness and first-step quickness as a pass rusher; pops off the edge like a defensive end
- Hybrid background—can function as both an off-ball linebacker and situational edge defender
- Flashes violent hands and natural bend to flatten around the arc
- High-motor player who brings juice on every snap, especially in pursuit
Walker’s pass-rushing traits are NFL-ready right now. He can win the edge with speed and has flashed enough of a rush plan—swipe, rip, ghost—to suggest there’s more room to grow. That explosiveness translates across positions, making him a chess piece on third downs. The Bengals could use him as a situational rusher early on, especially if Trey Hendrickson is dealt, slowed by age, or sitting out.
As an off-ball linebacker, Walker’s athleticism gives him legit sideline-to-sideline range. He’s raw in terms of instincts, but he doesn’t move like a 245-pounder. For a Bengals team that’s lacked a true space player at linebacker since Vontaze Burfict’s heyday, Walker brings the speed and versatility to match up with modern offenses.
Negatives
- Still learning the position—limited starting reps and delayed key/diagnose skills
- Tends to play too square and gets stuck on blocks
- Man coverage and pattern-matching skills remain a work in progress
Walker’s biggest issue is a lack of reps. He didn’t become a full-time starter until 2024 and it shows—he’ll hesitate on run fits or overrun plays altogether. The Bengals will have to live with some early growing pains if they try to play him inside from day one. There’s also a real question about where he fits long-term: is he an edge with coverage ability, or a linebacker who can rush?
He’s not always comfortable in man coverage, and his route recognition is behind the rest of his game. Offenses will try to isolate him against quicker backs and tight ends. But in Lou Anarumo’s absence, new defensive minds in Cincinnati might see Walker not as a liability—but as a moldable twitchy athlete worth betting on.
Jalon Walker NFL Player Comparison: Harold Landry III
- Primary Comp: Anthony Barr
- Alternative: Drew Sanders
- Floor Comp: Ogbo Okoronkwo
Walker compares favorably to Anthony Barr, another athletic hybrid who made the leap from edge rusher to linebacker at the next level. Both players have the length, speed, and physicality to thrive in space, and Walker shows more natural bend as a pass rusher than Barr ever did.
As an alternative comp, Drew Sanders makes sense. Like Walker, Sanders flashed versatility but was still refining his instincts at the next level. Both players rely on athleticism over polish, but bring third-down value early in their careers and can grow into full-time roles.
Jalon Walker 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Mid-Late 1st
Walker’s positional ambiguity won’t be for everyone, but teams with creative defensive schemes should be lining up. He’s got plug-and-play value on passing downs and high-upside potential to develop into a versatile starter. Cincinnati needs disruption and versatility—he offers both.