Jalon Walker Interview

[Swaggasaurus]

4 minutes ago, Davidson Deac II said:

If Luke is the comparison, then we are likely doomed.  Players like him come around only once in a while.  

We need an infusion of talent on defense and the first round is only one part of it.  If he turns out be to be a Shaq Thompson, but we also add a Charles Johnson or Mike Rucker and a Mike Minter in later rounds, I will be happy.  

There’s wishful thinking and then there is this….”Doesn’t matter if he’s a disappointment if we hit our other picks”- You…just now

[Davidson Deac II]

8 minutes ago, Swaggasaurus said:

There’s wishful thinking and then there is this….”Doesn’t matter if he’s a disappointment if we hit our other picks”- You…just now

Didn't say that at all.  Getting a guy as good as Shaq Thompson would not be a failure at all.  Might not be optimal, but it certainly wouldn't be a disappointment.  

 

Edited February 28 by Davidson Deac II

[ColumbusCounty]

3 hours ago, BrianS said:

Is he Luke Kuechly?  

There is no other Luke. 

Jalon Walker... would be more of Luvu then Kuechly Imo. 

I like him as a player just not at 8. About a month ago I had him slotted with the second rounder. I just don't think he's going as early as most. 

[BrianS]

4 hours ago, Davidson Deac II said:

If Luke is the comparison, then we are likely doomed.  Players like him come around only once in a while.  

We need a infusion of talent on defense and the first round is only one part of it.  If he turns out be to be a Shaq Thompson, but we also add a Charles Johnson or Mike Rucker and a Mike Minter in later rounds, I will be happy.  

Use Beason, TD, Morgan . . . whomever you like.  59 was just the most recent (and likely greatest) in a long line of excellence.  The point remains that you cannot draft a guy in the top 10 who you can't really decide what his fit in the NFL will be.

 

[Davidson Deac II]

3 minutes ago, BrianS said:

Use Beason, TD, Morgan . . . whomever you like.  59 was just the most recent (and likely greatest) in a long line of excellence.  The point remains that you cannot draft a guy in the top 10 who you can't really decide what his fit in the NFL will be.

 

I can agree with that.  Fwiw, I wish we would go back to the 4-3 and bring in a more traditional defensive end.  

That being said, I will point out that some thought Thomas Davis would be a safety when we drafted him.  It was of course clear early that lb was his best position.  

[MHS831]

13 hours ago, Mills said:

Man, I admittedly was not on the Jalon Walker hype train but the kid says the right things & seems to have a great head on his shoulders. I can see him blowing teams away in the interview room. 

 

 

OK, so this is a bit weird.  When I coached at Salisbury High School when I first started teaching, I used to go over to Catawba College to watch film and talk football with their coaches.  They were great. Curtis, Jalon's father, I assume, was a LB at Catawba and hired as LB coach by Bennett When Coastal started their program, they hired Catawba's coach Bennett.  Bennett must have taken Jalen's father with him to Coastal. I am guessing that is about the time Jalon was born and why he was in Conway. So then his father comes back to Salisbury after Jalen is born and takes the head coaching job.

Jalen is a good interview.  I love the kid based on this, and I have heard good things from former colleagues of FB.  Salibury (when I was there) was a very rough school.  Gangs, drugs, etc.  To put it in perspective, I was there for 2.5 years and I had four (4) students in my class (at different times) who committed murder during that time. A girl was raped in the gym by a few boys.  One night, after a game (there is a road between the coaches offices in the gym and the rest of the school) the coaches watched film until 1 AM or so.  When we were leaving to walk to our cars parked across that street, we noticed a car sitting in the middle of the road about 100 yards away with its lights off.  The driver took off when we neared the street, so we all hit the ground.  As the car passed, we heard about 6 or 7 gunshots.  The next day, the van behind where we fell to the ground had 2 bullet holes in it, about 5 feet above the ground. 
All that to say this:  If the young man on the video endured anything like that, I want him to succeed and I found it interesting that he mentioned playing for the Panthers.  I am not sold on the player as a fit here based on our needs, but I am sold on the person.  Very proud of him for some reason that many may not understand. 

Edited March 1 by MHS831

[CPF4LIFE]

12 hours ago, Jon Snow said:

We could do so much worse. If he's the guy get Deone in round 2 and the front 7 is improved. Notice I didn't say fixed.

Oh my god!!

[jfra78]

2 hours ago, Davidson Deac II said:

I can agree with that.  Fwiw, I wish we would go back to the 4-3 and bring in a more traditional defensive end.  

That being said, I will point out that some thought Thomas Davis would be a safety when we drafted him.  It was of course clear early that lb was his best position.  

Luke also played OLB for a season.  This whole no position thing is just ridiculous, he is an ILB who has the ability to move outside when needed.  People are overthinking this.  Versatility is a good thing lol

[Panthero]

19 hours ago, Bear Hands said:

Walker may not be a R2 or even R3 guy. But there should be some legit interior talent available.

He kicked ass at the senior bowl. 

[MHS831]

9 hours ago, Davidson Deac II said:

 

That being said, I will point out that some thought Thomas Davis would be a safety when we drafted him.  It was of course clear early that lb was his best position.  

We had a thread to predict who the Panthers would draft that year.  I was one of the few who picked Davis and I said with my pick, "they will move him to LB."  I say this because it may be the only time I have ever been right about the pick...and I dont want anyone to forget it!

[MHS831]

7 hours ago, jfra78 said:

Luke also played OLB for a season.  This whole no position thing is just ridiculous, he is an ILB who has the ability to move outside when needed.  People are overthinking this.  Versatility is a good thing lol

Interesting take and I do not doubt it a bit--but it relies on a coach that uses that versatility correctly.  During the interview, Jalon mentioned his versatility and how it kept the defense honest.  He knows his value.  I think he could be a great player, and I think if he is used incorrectly, he could be an average player.  This is sorta the dilemma teams are having with Travis Hunter.  If you draft him in the top 5, and that is where he should go, are you getting the best CB?  Are you getting the best WR? So to get his full value, do you have to play him both ways? If a team picks him and they do not allow him to use both talents, they might be over drafting him.  Jalon as an edge is not a first rounder.  As a versatile weapon that can create confusion and matchup issues, he is.  If I were the GM, I would sit down with the head coach, DC, and LB coach to see the plan for him.

. 

[Khyber53]

15 hours ago, Davidson Deac II said:

If Luke is the comparison, then we are likely doomed.  Players like him come around only once in a while.  

We need a infusion of talent on defense and the first round is only one part of it.  If he turns out be to be a Shaq Thompson, but we also add a Charles Johnson or Mike Rucker and a Mike Minter in later rounds, I will be happy.  

This ^. I think he has the chance to be something special and he might have the insight that you need in leading a defense. Maybe not quite what Luke had, but then again, he grew up with his Dad being a DC at the college level -- he's going to see the game from a different angle than others, he will understand the strategies.

Me, I'm hoping he's there for us in the second round. Or if we trade back late in the first because some of our bigger hitters are gone at 8. 

I think this guy has a chance at being a long-time, leadership type piece for whatever team grabs him. Smart, high character, student of the game players always, always make good draft picks.

[mrcompletely11]

1 minute ago, Khyber53 said:

This ^. I think he has the chance to be something special and he might have the insight that you need in leading a defense. Maybe not quite what Luke had, but then again, he grew up with his Dad being a DC at the college level -- he's going to see the game from a different angle than others, he will understand the strategies.

Me, I'm hoping he's there for us in the second round. Or if we trade back late in the first because some of our bigger hitters are gone at 8. 

I think this guy has a chance at being a long-time, leadership type piece for whatever team grabs him. Smart, high character, student of the game players always, always make good draft picks.

come for the high level game play, stay for the off the charts leadership ability.  Im down

[Bear Hands]

54 minutes ago, Panthero said:

He kicked ass at the senior bowl. 

He's the type that will be in the eye of the beholder.  For me, at his size, you'd expect a better run defender.  Doesn't seem to peel off OLs quickly enough to wrap up runners.  He gets caught up and can't move off interior linemen once they've got him in their grips.  When he seems to have a strict assignment on a passing down, he can be good but he plays kind of inconsistent and awkward.  Kind of a fringe R3/4 talent for me.

Of the bigger IDLs that can play 2 gap - I like Tyleik, Collins, & Phillips over Walker.