Falcons edge rusher predicted to take big Year 2 jump

The Atlanta Falcons front office hasn't exactly set the world on fire this offseason. Their free agent class has earned generally poor reviews and none of them are likely to make much of an impact. The same is probably true of their 2026 NFL Draft class, where they didn't have a pick until the middle of Round 2.

Improvement for Atlanta then will have to come from other angles - their best hope being that new head coach Kevin Stefanski can wring more out of this group than Raheem Morris did. Another path is seeing a step forward from the key players that make up the young core of their roster.

On that note, ESPN's Matt Miller sees a potentially big second-year jump from edge rusher Jalon Walker.

"Walker had a modest rookie year (5.5 sacks, 24 tackles) while acclimating to a traditional outside linebacker role after a hybrid alignment at Georgia. But he's now the clear-cut replacement for Kaden Elliss, who posted 10 QB hits and 10 tackles for loss last season. Walker's talent and versatile usage should combine for a double-digit sack season in his sophomore campaign."

Walker had a solid rookie season, all things considered. He posted 5.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits and five tackles for a loss in 15 games. It's just that he was overshadowed by James Pearce Jr., who was taken 11 picks later by the Falcons in the first round. Pearce doubled Walker's sack numbers and also produced more QB Hits (16) and TFL (10).

Despite the traditional numbers favoring Pearce, Walker actually earned a significantly higher overall grade (71.6) from Pro Football Focus than Pearce (56.2) . They earned similar pass rush grades but Walker graded out 30 points higher in run defense.

With Pearce likely to face a (potentially lengthy) suspension from the league office to begin the season, the Falcons will need Walker to step up and hit the ground running in Year 2.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: ESPN eyes Jalon Walker for second-year leap