Heading into the 2025 NFL Combine, Jalon Walker‘s draft spot was trending in the wrong direction.

An unquestioned first-round pick with the ability to move absolutely excessively due to his versatility and athletic competencies, Walker has watched his stock begin to fall as fans, pundits, and scouts alike puzzled what he could or couldn’t do at the NFL level.

Is Walker the next Micah Parsons, a do-it-all front-seven player who can cover as well as rush the passer and move around formations like a defensive joker? Can he hold up as a pure bypass rusher full-time, playing defensive end like fellow Bulldogs such as Nolan Smith? Or will he have to play off-ball linebacker like Quay Walker, who has been underwhelming for the Green Bay Packers? Even if Walker is better than the Packer linebacker, is an off-ball linebacker worth a first-round pick in 2025?

Needless to say, Walker wished for an awesome showing in Indianapolis to prove he’s worthy of being selected with a top-32 pick, but a quad injury held him out of on-field testing, and he will now do a private test for teams on April 17th, without as many eyes on his performance.

Ideal? For Walker, not at all; however, it also stinks for NFL teams, as they want to recognize as much data as feasible about the Georgia product so that they can make the “correct” decision heading into the first round of the draft. If Walker runs a 4.4, then howdy, he might actually go up draft boards, with enough teams hungry for Parsons to take a shot at getting a very similar player on the cheap; however, if he runs a 4.8 or even slower? Goodness, thinking about his height and arm length, Walker may not even go to the Philadelphia Eagles at pick 32, who seemingly scout based on whether or not a G is on a player’s helmet.

Can Walker nevertheless show up in April and show he’s as appropriate as his tape indicates? Yes, however, for the next month and a half, other players will continue to go up boards as they do team visits, perform at their Pro Days, and retain to impress, even as Walker slowly fades from the front of memories and falls down broads as a result.