Jalon Walker

Jalon Nicholas Walker (born February24, 2004) is an American professional football defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning the Butkus Award in 2024, and was selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Early life Walker was born in Conway, South Carolina and attended Salisbury High School in Salisbury, North Carolina. He was the 2021 North Carolina Gatorade Football Player of the Year after recording 79 tackles and eight sacks. A five-star recruit, Walker was selected to play in the 2022 Under Armour All-American Game. He committed to the University of Georgia to play college football.

College career Walker (#11) played in all 15 games his true freshman year at Georgia in 2022 and had nine tackles and one sack. He was part of the team that won the National Championship over TCU. As a sophomore in 2023, he again played in all 14 games and recorded 20 tackles and five sacks. As a junior in 2024, Walker was named a first team All-American and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

On January6, 2025, Walker declared for the 2025 NFL draft.

Professional career

Walker was selected in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons with the 15th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. As a rookie, he finished with 5.5 sacks, 36 total tackles (24 solo), one pass defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Walker suffered an ACL tear during training camp on August 4, 2026. It was announced that he would miss the entirety of the 2026 NFL season.

NFL career statistics Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL FF FR Yds TD Int Yds TD PD 2025 ATL 15 9 36 24 12 5.5 5 2 1 0 — — — — 1 Career 15 9 36 24 12 5.5 5 2 1 0 — — — — 1

Personal life Walker's father, Curtis Walker, was the head football coach at Catawba College from 2012 to 2022, and previously had stints as the defensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina University and Western Carolina University.