FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Raheem Morris is understandably hesitant to hear any comparisons between Atlanta Falcons rookie edge rusher Jalon Walker and Dallas Cowboys two-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.
“To compare him to that type of greatness, put that type of pressure on this young man would be unfair,” the head coach said.
Walker, though, is “not at all” worried about carrying that burden.
“You know, my standards are high for myself,” he said.
Comparisons between Walker and Parsons were inevitable in the lead-up to the draft, in which the Falcons selected Walker with the 15th pick. Both primarily played linebacker positions in college before being asked to transition primarily to an edge rushing position in the NFL; both won college football’s Butkus Award; both have the athletic versatility to line up in several spots in the front seven of a defense; both were one-year college starters; both wear jersey No. 11.
“I think you’ve got to let Jalon come out and be the best version of himself, which I know he will because of who he is and the makeup he has,” Morris said. “He’ll have some Micah Parsons-like features, and I’ll let him determine what he can be when he gets to this league.”
Walker and Parsons are both represented by David Mulugheta and have sponsorship deals with Adidas, and Parsons helped coach Walker through his pre-draft preparation.
“I’m great friends with Micah, and he’s a big mentor to me,” Walker said. “He’s like an older brother to me in the way he pushes me to be better, he pushes me to have a high standard for myself. Me being able to be versatile is what I do, and what he does as well. I learned well from his style of play.”
“I think he’s this year’s draft version of Micah Parsons.” 👀 @ESPNBooger and @nfldraftscout praise Georgia’s Jalon Walker 💪 pic.twitter.com/W3OAdSM88w
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 20, 2025
The players share a similar physical profile, although Parsons is two inches taller at 6 foot 3 than Walker at 6-1. Both generally play within a pound or two of 245 pounds, and Walker has slightly longer arms (32 inches compared with 31.5 inches).
Their play style is similar, too.
In his annual comprehensive draft guide “The Beast,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote that Parsons has “outstanding change of direction and pursuit skills,” while Walker “is a tremendous space athlete and covers a ton of ground with his fluid change of direction.” He called Parsons a “dynamic downhill player with his timing and burst.” Meanwhile, Walker “is at his best using his long, sleek athleticism to explode downhill and close at the top of his rush.”
Brugler called each player “one of the best talents in this draft.”
“Me and Micah are two separate people. Micah is Micah, and I am Jalon Walker myself, but I do emulate him in some ways of just versatility and game,” Walker said.
The Falcons will be thrilled if they get from Walker something close to Parsons’ production in Dallas. Parsons has accumulated 52 1/2 sacks and 112 quarterback hits in four seasons for the Cowboys. His least productive season had 12 sacks.
The Falcons plan to use Walker exclusively as an edge rusher at the beginning of his career. How long that specialization will last is in question, though.
“Georgia taught him from the inside linebacker room, but he was playing all over the field,” Falcons inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud said. “We’re going to kind of do the opposite. We’re going to start him outside, and if he needs to move around, we can do that.”
Atlanta’s new defensive line coach, Nate Ollie, has said he can already envision lining up Walker over guards on the interior in pass-rush situations, and Walker has expressed excitement about focusing on the edge while also nodding toward his desire to keep some of his versatility.
“I’m excited to embrace that role of being just on the edge,” he said last week during rookie minicamp. “Of course, there could be room to expand roles, so I’m excited.”
Walker had 12 1/2 sacks in three seasons at Georgia. (Parsons had 6 1/2 sacks in two seasons in college before sitting out the 2020 COVID-19 season and then declaring for the draft.)
“If you tell me to go get the quarterback, I’m going to go get him,” Walker said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m at the end of the line, doesn’t matter if I’m in the slot, doesn’t matter if I’m off the ball. My job is simple. If you tell me to go get them. I feel like what everybody knows is what I do best.”
Atlanta has had only one player record double-digit sacks (Vic Beasley 15 1/2 in 2016) since 2012. The Falcons believe Walker can be next.
“The kid’s makeup, obviously, is unique with all the things he can do, all the places he can rush from,” Morris said. “He’s an off-the-ball backer. He’s an on-the-ball backer. He can do so many different things. He can set edges. I mean, there’s not a whole lot that he can’t do.”
Maybe he can even be (like) Micah Parsons.
(Photos: Tim Warner / Getty Images; Geoff Burke / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)