Jaguars Pick Travon Walker No. 1. Here’s What They Get
Luke Easterling explains how Travon Walker fits in with the Jacksonville Jaguars, describing his top and bottom as prospects.
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
Travon Walker’s meteoric rise in the 2022 NFL Draft took him to the top overall pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars picked Georgia defensive end Walker Thursday with the No. 1 overall pick in the first round.
The Jaguars, who were top of the draft for a second consecutive season after acquiring quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2021, had been among four players since last week, general manager Trent Baalke said. But the team’s move on Wednesday to sign franchise-tagged left tackle Cam Robinson for a three-year extension suggested the Jaguars were likely in the market for a pass-rusher.
For much of the preliminary draft process, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was the putative frontrunner to be chosen as the first player pick. However, last week Walker became the widespread betting favorite to be No. 1.
However, the Jaguars didn’t publicly announce it until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the selection in Las Vegas.
Walker last week claimed he didn’t know where he would end up in the draft, telling USA TODAY Sports, “I wish I knew.”
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The former five-star recruit enjoyed a meteoric rise in his only season as a starter for Georgia, helping the school win its first national title since 1980. His stock seemed even higher with a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine in the early days of March. Weighing 6-5 and 272 pounds, Walker ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash that placed third among all defensive ends.
But Walker only managed 9 1/2 sacks in three seasons in Georgia despite being afforded fewer edge-rushing opportunities than many other top defensive end prospects. Hutchinson, on the other hand, recorded 14 sacks in 2021 alone and finished second in the Heisman Trophy.
“I think if you look at these two players, they’re prolific in their own way,” Baalke said during a pre-draft press conference, referring to Hutchinson and Walker. “[They’re] used differently, completely different schemes, used differently within those schemes.”
However, Walker acknowledged that he could have been more productive during his career with the Bulldogs.
“I feel like I could have used a lot more plays alone,” he said, adding that he’s been working on his pass rush technique in hopes of getting better results at the next level.
In Jacksonville, Walker will be a key building block for a franchise seeking a fresh start after sacking coach Urban Meyer just 13 games into his inaugural campaign. The Jaguars finished the year 3-14 and subsequently hired former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson to take the reins of the team.
Walker will join forces with 2019 first-round pick and former Pro Bowl pick Josh Allen as the cornerstone of the Jaguars’ passing rush. Jacksonville tallyed just 32 sacks in 2021, making it the sixth-lowest total in the NFL.
Shortly after Walker’s selection, NFL Network reported that he was involved in a “serious car accident” in Athens, Georgia, leading up to the draft.
According to the accident report obtained by USA TODAY Sports, just before 11 p.m. on April 16, Walker’s Dodge Durango struck two parked cars near a student apartment complex near the University of Georgia campus. No injuries were reported and no subpoenas were issued, according to Shaun Barnett, spokesman for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
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