Dawgs turning out to be best friends for Falcons, Hawks in recent drafts

The Falcons selected Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker in the first round of the NFL draft in April and the Hawks added the Dawgs’ Asa Newell in the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft.

“It’s really cool,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said Wednesday night. “It’s pretty cool that he’s just down the road, played at Georgia. Yeah, it’s just really exciting.

“I think it’s cool for the state of Georgia — I really do. Just to have a guy that played up there that’s an Atlanta Hawk now, it’s pretty special. So, just really excited about it.”

It’s uncommon for two pro sports teams from the same city to pick in-state players in the same year — the only other instance in either draft this year was the Charlotte Hornets selecting Duke’s Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 pick.

The Atlanta teams look to have made steps forward with their home-state selections, with the Falcons getting Walker, a high-upside pass rusher who’s projected to help their lagging defense. For the Hawks, the Newell addition brings an athletic option to their rotation.

The Hawks reportedly considered Newell as an option with the No. 13 pick before dealing it to the New Orleans Pelicans for No. 23 and a 2026 first-round pick.

It all seemed to work out for the Hawks in taking a hometown option who lived in Atlanta during his childhood and played at UGA for one year before entering the draft.

The Hawks had him on their radar the whole time.

“Yeah, he was right down the road, so it was easy to see him, but no he was somebody we had scouted all year long,” Saleh said. “I just think he was somebody we watched all year long. And, I mean, we just loved him when we were scouting him. Just made sense for everything what we’re about in building a program.”

The Falcons already have seen flashes from Walker in their minicamps leading into the summer, and they envision him being a key part of their defense when training camp begins in July.