A recent ESPN prospect ranking for the NFL Draft made a surprising reveal on Georgia football standouts Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams. The defensive stars were two of the best players in the country at their position and major contributors towards the Bulldogs’ SEC Championship win in 2024.
While ESPN has Williams as the No. 6 and Walker as the No. 15 best available player on its Big Board, NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller disagrees. In contrast, Miller puts Walker as his fifth overall best prospect while slotting Williams at twelve.
Jalon Walker received the following write-up in these Draft rankings.
“It’s hard to imagine a better coming-out party than the one Walker had against Texas in Week 8, posting three sacks and six pressures against the Longhorns’ two high-round tackle prospects.
He followed that up with another big day against Tennessee (six tackles for loss, one sack) and added four tackles for loss and a sack in the SEC title game rematch with the Longhorns. He’s a dual-threat as a linebacker and pass rusher, with the speed and power off the edge to make game-changing plays.”
Mykel Williams received a similar, albeit more critical, evaluation.
“Williams rounded into form after an ankle injury forced him to miss time early in the 2024 season. He’s a developing player who wows scouts with his size, power, and speed, and he has improved on pass-rush moves with his hand timing and use of leverage. He eats up pass protectors with his ability to swipe away their hands — something he did against Texas’ star tackles in Week 8.Critics will point to Williams’ lack of production outside of the two Texas games; he had four sacks against the Longhorns and one against everyone else this past season. There’s talent, but his floor as a prospect will be heavily debated.”
Georgia football’s Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams will both be high first-round picks
Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11) celebrates with Bulldogs defensive lineman Mykel Williams (13) after making a defensive stop against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first quarter at Caesars Superdome.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Most mock drafts have both Walker and Williams going high in the first round. It is important to note that Walker had the healthier and more productive season of the two. The junior linebacker out of Salisbury, North Carolina, recorded 61 total tackles and 6.5 sacks. This production was good enough to give Walker the Butkus Award for the top linebacker in the country.
Williams, a defensive lineman from Columbus, Georgia, still had a good enough season to be named All-SEC. Overall, the two are examples of the consistent, elite prospects that come out of the Bulldogs’ program. Still, Williams and Walker’s departures are significant losses. But Kirby Smart has had to replace terrific players, and he will again. The expectations remain the same for Georgia football heading into 2025. Championship or bust.
