In an ideal world for the New England Patriots, one of Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter would be available with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft later this month.
Even after bolstering their defense in free agency with major additions such as defensive tackle Milton Williams, outside linebacker Harold Landry and cornerback Carlton Davis, the Patriots still need more high-end talent and depth at edge rusher.
Carter is the best edge rusher in the draft, but the gap between him and Georgia star Jalon Walker is not enormous. Therefore, would it make sense for the Patriots to draft Walker at No. 4 if Carter and Hunter are both off the board?
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SIGN UP HERE On the latest episode of Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast, college football expert Bruce Feldman of The Athletic analyzed Walker's skill set and why he's worthy of a top-five selection.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: The Athletic reporter breaks down why Travis Hunter is truly an 'ELITE' 'RARE' talent | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I think Jalon Walker is a tad smaller than people would probably like, but I think he was just a disruptive, dominant player who was one of the five-best college football players in the country last year," Feldman said.
"You look at what he did against Texas. Texas has two first-round talents at offensive tackle. One guy is Kelvin Banks Jr., who will be a first rounder, I'm pretty sure of, this year. The other one should have probably stayed one more year at college, but he was very talented, and Jalon Walker just destroyed those guys in two games that he played (against the Longhorns).
"In the middle of the season, Georgia just crushed Texas, and in the SEC title game they beat them again. I think he's really, really gifted. I think he is a top-five (pick) kind of player. I would be shocked if he's not a Pro Bowl guy. I think he's just pretty special.
"I think Abdul Carter is better than him, but he's the only one I think is better than Jalon Walker as an edge guy. Jalon Walker also is really good as an off-the-ball linebacker. I'm not saying he's Micah Parsons, but like Micah Parsons, he can do a lot of stuff. He's probably the next-best thing to Micah Parsons that we've seen come out."
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Walker tallied a career-high 38 solo tackles, 6.5 sacks and two pass breakups for Georgia last season. But he isn't just an exceptional pass rusher. He's good against the run, he can drop back in coverage, and his work ethic/leadership make him a strong culture fit.
It's also worth noting that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and his staff develop defensive linemen and linebackers better than just about everyone in the nation. Recent first-round picks such as Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Travon Walker have all made a huge impact for their respective teams.
The Patriots very much need to take a left tackle early in this draft, which makes LSU star Will Campbell a great option at No. 4. If the Pats wanted to take Walker at No. 4 instead of Campbell, they could try to trade back into Round 1 and take Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr. or Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons.
"Josh Simmons, I think if he was not hurt, ironically enough against Oregon midseason, I think he would have been a top 15 pick," Feldman said. "He's a guy who could probably run in the high 4.8s, low 4.9s, vertical jump in the mid-thirties, maybe 36 inches. He started playing very well, but then he got hurt midseason.
"I think he's the guy that I would say maybe has more upside (than Conerly). He's not as polished. Conerly played in a different style of offense. The Ohio State offense probably translates better to the NFL. I think Simmons would probably be the one I would roll the dice on (between him and Conerly) just because I think the upside and athleticism is there.
"Again, he got hurt and missed half the year, but I think the way he was trending was toward a top 20, top 15 pick if he could have stayed healthy."
Also in this episode:
- Why Travis Hunter is truly an elite talent -- regardless of which year he’s being drafted.
- Why Abdul Carter is a freak athletic talent on par with Von Miller.
- Breaking down whether or not the Patriots would be lampooned for taking Tyler Warren or Tetairoa McMillan 4th overall.