Falcons fans irate after Jalon Walker steals legendary jersey number

There was one number Jalon Walker couldn't take, and he took it...

The Atlanta Falcons' top pick will wear the number he wore at the University of Georgia, No. 11—a number that shouldn't have been available.

Falcons allow Jalon Walker to take Julio Jones' legendary number

We are all cheering for Jalon Walker to become a superstar, but it will be difficult seeing him wear the number that Julio Jones tore the NFL up in.

Why the Falcons let him take the number is beyond me. While the team doesn't officially retire numbers, it doesn't hand out past legends' numbers.

Julio's legacy is too great; No. 11 should be associated with the future Hall of Famer receiver, and no one else.

This may not seem like a big deal but there could be future consequences.

What happens when the Falcons are ready to put him in their Ring of Honor? Will Walker be grandfathered in, or will he have to pick a new number?

If he picks a new number, then all those fans who bought his jersey will be out of luck.

I simply don't get it. Are the Dirty Birds still angry at him for requesting a trade years ago?

Maybe they are; they didn't sign him to a one-day contract to retire with the team, and now they handed his number out.

From Walker's perspective, he saw his college number sitting there, and you cannot blame him for taking it. This was a mishap by the team, not the player.

We have seen players wear double tallies a few times since Julio's trade. Logan Woodside and Emory Jones wore it as backup quarterbacks, and O.J. Hiliare wore it last offseason.

Nevertheless, this is a different circumstance. Walker is an elite first-round talent who could be a perennial Pro Bowler. You don't want the number's legacy split between two players.

I doubt they will make him pick a new number after already announcing it. And they likely won't explain why 11 was available. It is just a weird situation.