Minnesota Golden Gophers cornerback Justin Walley is the second Golden Gopher to hear his name called on Friday evening in the 2025 NFL Draft. One round after offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 48th overall pick, Walley was drafted 80th overall by the Tennessee Titans.

In the 2024 season, Walley played and started in 10 games for the Gophers, recording 42 tackles while breaking up 10 passes and recording two interceptions. For his career, the D'Iberville, Mississippi native played in 49 games for the Gophers, recording 155 tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack on top of seven interceptions, 34 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.

- NFL.com Analyst Lance Zierlein ... Highly experienced cornerback with good size, speed and ball production. Walley has good mirror-and-match footwork in the early stages of the route but needs to trust his technique instead of using his hands in coverage so often. He keeps close tabs on quarterbacks and pounces on short throws with authority. He’s irritating at the catch point but can be bodied by big targets. He’s willing in run support but will need to improve his finishing against bigger runners. Walley played an overwhelming majority of his snaps outside, but he could be destined to slide inside due to a lack of length.

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