The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in need of some youth at the linebacker position, and they should be able to find it in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the No. 20 overall pick in Bleacher Report’s end-of-season mock draft, the Buccaneers ended up selecting Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker.
“Walker is the nation’s reigning Butkus Award winner, but he’s not a traditional off-ball linebacker. The 20-year-old defender is a downhill demon when defending the run, blitzing the quarterback or rushing off the edge,” Bleacher Report writes.
“[Todd] Bowles can deploy the defensive weapon in a variety of manners to exploit mismatches and any potential offensive weaknesses.”
In his junior season with the Bulldogs, Walker had 60 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 14 games with the team.
Bleacher Report scout Matt Holder believes this could be a match made in heaven.
“This pick feels like a slam-dunk pairing,” Holder said. “Lavonte David and K.J. Britt are impending free agents, as is outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, and the Bucs need pass-rush help regardless. So, the opportunity to invest a first-round pick on a defender who has experience as an off-ball linebacker and on the edge like Walker does makes a lot of sense.”
If the Bucs let any of their linebackers walk in free agency, Walker co
