Atlanta Falcons Coaches Have High Praise For Rookie Jalon Walker

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – The Jalon Walker takeover has come quickly for the Atlanta Falcons over the last few weeks. He had a quiet start to his season, but Walker has taken his game to the next level, proving on and off the field that he has the chance to be a cornerstone for this franchise.

The rookie has taken on an elevated role in the wake of veteran Leonard Floyd’s absence due to a soft tissue injury. After Walker played just 133 snaps in his first six games, he has 94 in the last two games alone since returning from his own soft tissue injury.

Walker rewarded the staff with two of the best performances of his young career. The rookie has 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, a pass defended, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in those two games.

“I'm fired up about how he's playing,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “I hate for the young man that he hasn't been able to get some wins with the way he's been playing. All those guys up front, they’re playing hard, playing physical, is what he's been able to do. He's brought us some real leadership, some authentic leadership from a young guy. He's bringing us a style of play, and he's turned to that leader that we thought he could be when we drafted him, and I love watching him grow and mature here as a Falcon.”

This is exactly what the Falcons were hoping to get from the former Georgia Bulldog and Butkus Award winner after he fell to them at pick 15 in last spring’s draft. Walker plays bigger than his 6-foot-2, 245-pound frame and older than the 2004 birth year would indicate.

The intensity he brings to the field is readily apparent.

“He's a ball player, man,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “You see the run defense. You see a guy who just gets to the ball. He might do it a little unique way and different way, but he's going to be productive. He's going to find a way to affect the ball in a major way. And he's a guy that's starting to learn how to rush from the edge, which is really cool to see because, as we all know, that's just time on task.”

When the Falcons selected him, one of Walker’s downsides was that he did not have a lot of experience as a pure edge rusher. Despite a run of soft tissue injuries that go back to the summertime, it is clear that the rookie has been a fast learner. It’s also an area he will only continue to improve.

Having a player with Walker’s versatility to deploy on this defense has been huge for Ulbrich. The rookie is quickly becoming a player who will be a three-down asset for the Falcons.

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But in addition to his play on the field, the rookie has assumed a leadership role that would be uncommon for someone of his experience. Ulbrich had high praise for Walker in this regard.

“What you don't see is the leader that he is, the voice that he has, the command of the group that he has. It's just as unique as I've ever been around for a rookie,” the defensive coordinator said. “You know, he feels like a – I'm not exaggerating at all. He feels like a 10-year vet, the way that he commands the group, the way he speaks, the confidence that he has, the aura that he carries. It will not take him very long to be a captain here, in my opinion.”

The Falcons challenged Walker to take on a big responsibility on this team. Through the first 11 weeks, the rookie has been up to that challenge.

“He has this tremendous love for football, and it's just infectious,” Ulbrich finished. “He's constantly attacking his weaknesses. He's constantly elevating people around him. He's encouraging. He's obsessed with the game. So just the guy that we're lucky to have and the guy that's going to continue to ascend because of his attitude and his makeup.”

In a season with few bright spots, Jalon Walker is becoming a future pillar of this defense.