With the 2025 NFL Draft Combine rapidly approaching, it seems like every scout, professional or amateur, is looking to identify the next Tom Brady, the next Justin Jefferson, and the next Micah Parsons, who is about to be in the conversation of the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL when his contract comes due.
While most comps are more for fun than anything else, as measurable alone can’t judge things like work ethic, schematic fits, or luck, Booger McFarland does see one player who reminds him an awful lot of Parsons is Jalon Walker, the hybrid inside/outside linebacker out of Georgia who will be hearing his name called in the first round in April. Breaking his game down on SportsCenter, McFarland broke down what’s so exciting about Walker’s play.
“I’m not going to go with some of the guys that have the great arm length. I’m going with a guy like Jalon Walker, a guy that I saw just dominate the Texas Longhorns. I don’t know what he’s going to measure, Kev, but I guarantee you this – if you measure impact and playmaking ability, you can line him up anywhere, whether it be off the ball, whether it be on the edge,” McFarland said via On3.
“I think he’s this year’s draft’s version of Micah Parsons. He can be an impact player wherever he goes from, and I think his ability just to impact the offense and to put a dagger in the offense, I think is going to be there from Day 1. If you want a player – I think, ideally, you can put him at a 3-4 outside linebacker at an edge. But very similar how the Cowboys use Micah Parsons, I think you can put him anywhere, it’s Jalon Walker for me.”
On paper, McFarland’s assertion is pretty spot on, as both men are hyper-athletic linebackers who can get after a quarterback, chase around running backs, and potentially even drop into coverage to confuse opposing quarterbacks, even if that’s a waste of his unique talents. Like Parsons, some have questions about which position he should play in the NFL, but if he lands in the right scheme, it’s safe to say that versatility could go from a question mark to a certified asset, as he could be deployed in a variety of different ways just like the PSU product.
While only time will tell if Walker can match Parsons athletically, as the future Cowboys was one of the most athletically gifted performers to ever put on a pair of underwear and test at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, if the Georgia product can rip-off a 4.39 just like his predecessor, he might be drafted in the top half of the NFL Draft too. And if not? Well, some team picking in the 20s or even the early 30s will certainly scoop Walker up and find out what fans in Georgia already know: Walker is a certified gamer who can impact a football game like few others in this year’s class.
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