Penn State edge rusher/linebacker Abdul Carter is the consensus top pass rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft, and that is not even up for debate with the draft a little more than a month away. However, after Carter it has not been clear that there is a consensus about the next pass rusher off the board. There have been some projections of Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, and Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. In a survey of team sources, there was no clear consensus, but Walker got the most votes.
Sources from four teams said they thought Walker would be the next edge rusher drafted after Carter. Sources from three teams thought it would be Williams, and sources from three teams thought it would be Pearce. However, one source who said Pearce would be the second edge rusher drafted added the caveat that if enough teams drop Pearce off their board because of character concerns, then Walker would probably be the next one drafted after Carter. As we reported at the NFL Scouting Combine, some teams have dropped Pearce off their board because of the character concerns.
Interestingly, Walker has wide-ranging opinions on him. One playoff team that needs pass rush help said they would not take Walker in the first round and had him on day two. Another team that could use linebacker and pass rush help picking in the top 20 said they were not high on Walker. Here is what one area scout texted, “I’d imagine [Mykel] Williams. Walker might be too much of a tweener to take early in 1, while Williams there’s too much to like with the traits and flashes. Williams is big and passes the eye test. Walker looks like your everyday off-ball linebacker; nothing wrong with that; just tough to find that body type that’s become a high-end NFL edge guy beyond [Elvis] Dumerville and the Steelers guys, unless he’s a 4.4 freak like [Dwight] Freeney and [Robert] Mathis were.”
In my latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft, I have Walker as the second edge rusher drafted as he won the poll, but it does not sound like a slam dunk with Walker getting four votes, three going to Williams, and two going to Pearce.
