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ESPN names player who will step up to replace Jalon Walker at Georgia
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Jalon Walker was selected No. 15 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, going to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons don’t usually pick Georgia players for whatever reason, but the value on getting the talented edge rusher at No. 15 was too good to pass up.
Now Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs will look for someone to step up to replace Walker’s production. Walker finished the 2024 season with 60 tackles (including a team-high 11 tackles for a loss) and 6.5 sacks, which was tied with Chaz Chambliss for the most on the team.
ESPN’s college football experts took a look at who needs to step up to replace each of the 32 first-round picks from the 2025 draft, and insider Chris Low named Chris Cole as the potential replacement for Walker:
Since the day Kirby Smart took over at Georgia, the Bulldogs have specialized in developing linebackers and edge rushers. Walker was the latest and followed in a long line of Georgia defenders who made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. He won the Butkus Award last season as the nation’s top linebacker. Now, it’s Cole’s turn to show what he can do — and if he can move around and play all the same roles as Walker. The 6-3, 235-pound Cole was named to the SEC All-Freshman team last season, and this spring, branched out and showed his versatility. Fellow linebacker Justin Williams even said that Cole was “like J-Walk” in that he could rush, cover and play the run.
Cole, like most players Georgia lands these days, was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. As a freshman in 2024, he posted 16 tackles, including 2 for a loss. He also recovered 2 fumbles and returned 1 for a touchdown.
Georgia will get at least 2 more seasons out of Cole to see what he can do before he’s eligible to leave for the NFL Draft.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
