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The 49ers Pick Georgia Linebacker Jalon Walker in New Mock Draft

If Howie Roseman were the 49ers general manager, who would he take with 11th pick?
Grant Cohn|
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

If Howie Roseman were the 49ers general manager, who would he take with 11th pick?

Roseman just built his second Super Bowl Championship roster on the Eagles, and he did so partially by drafting four defensive players from the University of Georgia in the first three rounds of the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts. Those players are Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.

So if Roseman were the 49ers' GM, there's a good chance he'd take the best Georgia defensive player available. And this year, that player is Jalon Walker according to the latest mock draft from Fox Sports.

"The Niners need help on the edge and at linebacker," writes Fox NFL reporter Jason Helman. "Enter Walker, who is big enough and athletic enough to do a little bit of everything. The versatility to play off-ball and up front is coveted, and I'd bet Robert Saleh could find some fun ways to deploy him."

Walker is 6'1", 243 pounds, so he might be too small to defend the run as a full-time defensive end. But he can play linebacker on first and second downs and then move to the edge on third downs. And wherever he plays, he's a threat to rush the quarterback, which means he would give Saleh the ability to simulate pressure and scheme up creative blitzes.

Walker also is a leader with the temperament of a coach because he's the son of a coach. He's the kind of player that Saleh and Kyle Shanahan would love.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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