The Arizona Cardinals could use a promising pass rusher this offseason. It is their greatest positional need entering 2025. Could they land that player in the 2025 NFL draft?
In the first mock draft from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, they do!
With the 16th pick in the first round, he projects Georgia defender Jalon Walker to the Cardinals.
Walker is a bit undersized as an edge rusher, but he offers an intriguing mix of length, explosiveness and playmaking ability.
Walker is 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds and played off the ball and then, last season, as an edge defender. Some draft analysts rave about Walker.
He had 6.5 sacks for Georgia in 2024 and 11 tackles for loss. He is expected to show elite numbers athletically and some compare him to Nolan Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles, who also was undersized and played off the ball and off the edge.
Smith was very good in 2024 for Philly, logging 6.5 sacks in the regular season and three in two postseason games so far.
Zaven Collins is really good at everything but getting sacks as an outside linebacker. BJ Ojulari perhaps can be that consistent pressure threat, but the Cardinals need someone like Walker.
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