By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

ATHENS, Ga. — There hasn’t been much doubt since the first Georgia-Texas game in October, but Bulldog linebacker Jalon Walker made it official on Monday with an announcement that he’s entering the NFL draft.

Walker, who won’t turn 21 until February, will pass on his final year of college eligibility to get his pro career started. Walker thanked his family, coaches, teammates and fans for the positive experience he had in three seasons at Georgia. The Bulldogs were national champs his freshman season and they were nationally ranked and in the hunt the last two years.

“This has been a dream of mine since I started playing the game,” Walker said. “I’m grateful for the University of Georgia, my coaches, teammates, and all the Dawg fans who made these last three years unforgettable. Now it’s time for me to take that next step and chase the NFL.”

The draft will be conducted April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisc.

Walker, who starred at Salisbury High on a state-championship team, was the Rowan County Athlete of the Year for the 2020-21 school year. He is the son of Catawba Hall of Famer and former Catawba head coach Curtis Walker. His mother, LaSheka Foxx Walker is a former North Rowan athlete.

Walker, the North Carolina Gatorade Football Player of the Year for 2020, chose Georgia after a nationwide recruiting battle. He was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked 26th nationally in his high school class.

Walker made a meteoric rise from freshman backup to sophomore sacks leader to junior superstar for the Bulldogs. He made 60 tackles this season, with 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. “Hurries” — quarterback pressures — aren’t on every stat sheet, but that’s probably his key stat. His strength and quickness make him hard to block. He had 10 hurries in the Kentucky game alone. In the first game with Texas, when Texas was still ranked No. 1 nationally, Walker dominated the first half with three sacks.

Walker won the Butkus Award. That goes to the player who is deemed to be the nation’s top linebacker. He was named to multiple All-America teams, including Associated Press. Walker has played his best on the biggest stages and is now considered one of the elite edge-rushers and off-ball linebackers available in the draft.

The draft stock for Walker (6-2, 245) is rising with a bullet. Two mock drafts that came out in the past week have him being taken in the top 10 in the first round. One had him going seventh to the New York Jets, while the other had him going ninth to the New Orleans Saints.

The Carolina Panthers have the eighth pick. The Panthers probably will prioritize drafting a defensive back, but you never know.

Tennessee, Cleveland the New York Giants have the first three picks in the draft. At this point, many project those picks to be quarterbacks Cam Ward (Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Heisman winner Travis Hunter (Colorado).