Insider Reveals Dark Horse for Patriots First-Round Pick

The New England Patriots could have their eyes set on an interesting first-round prospect in the weeks ahead of this month’s draft.

According to insider Mike Giardi, Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker has “a lot of fans at Patriot Place,” potentially hinting towards the Patriots’ interest in selecting the top defender come later this April.

Walker has been one of this year’s premier defensive prospects to take note of as a top-20 pick and perhaps one of the first players to be chosen on that side of the ball, and now seemingly has a considerable bit of support in New England’s building.

Walker finished last season with the Bulldogs putting together 61 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries across 13 showings. He has elite versatility in the front seven with the ability to make an impact as a pass rusher or an off-ball linebacker, potentially adding to the appeal New England has in his services.

For the Patriots, a pairing with Walker could make a ton of sense in a trade-down scenario. Especially in the event New England doesn’t have the chance to select either of Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter at number four, shifting down the board to pick up extra assets in the process of still grabbing the Georgia linebacker seems like a move that has New England written all over it.

Or, if New England truly covets Walker as one of their top guys, perhaps a fit could come to form at the fourth-overall pick. The Georgia linebacker has had his stock in flux throughout the pre-draft process, with chatter of being inside the top ten, as well as being closer to the 20 range. At four, hearing his name called would be a bit of a surprise, but it might not be out of the question if Mike Vrabel and Co. like what he has to offer.

Rebuilding the front seven will likely be an area of focus for the Patriots at some point in this year’s draft with a defensive head coach like Vrabel at the helm, even with the multitude of additions to the unit through free agency. Pairing together the release of Ja’Whaun Bentley with New England’s struggling pass rush numbers from 2024, and maybe Walker could be the perfect pick for this defense.

Therefore, add Walker’s name to the mixed bag of candidates that could be on the Patriots’ draft card once the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 24th in Green Bay, WI.

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