Salisbury High School graduate Jalon Walker will get a shot in the NFL.

Walker, a linebacker from the University of Georgia, was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

Walker stands at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds.

As a junior at Georgia last season, Walker led the team with 10.5 tackles for loss and recorded 6.5 sacks, which was tied for the team’s best. He played in all 14 games for the Bulldogs, won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker, and was a third-team selection on the Associated Press All-American team.

During his high school career at Salisbury, Walker was a four-year varsity player at tight end and edge rusher. He was a five-star prospect when he left high school for Georgia.

247Sports.com ranked Walker as the No. 40 player in the nation when he graduated high school.

Walker helped Salisbury to the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2AA state title during the 2020-2021 season, which was played in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He recorded 97 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Walker was named the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year that season.

As a senior at Salisbury, Walker recorded 39 tackles on an 11-1 Hornets team that gave up just 68 points during the season. Walker was also selected to the 2022 Under Armour All-American Game.

It was evident in high school that Walker had the potential to be a standout player. He was the conference defensive player of the year and was named the HighSchoolOT All-State Team as a junior and a senior.

Following his senior season, he was selected to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, though the game was not played due to the pandemic.

Walker also played basketball and ran track at Salisbury.