Jaguars Take Travon Walker With First Pick of 2022 NFL Draft

Walker had six sacks and 37 total tackles in 2021 before shooting up draft boards in the offseason.

The Jaguars selected former Georgia defensive end Travon Walker with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NFL draft in Las Vegas. 

Walker shot up draft boards in recent weeks after it was believed for much of the offseason that edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux would be selected with the first and second picks. But Walker ultimately had the honor of hearing his name called before any other player. 

• Live NFL Draft Tracker: Pick-By-Pick Analysis

The 21-year-old had six sacks and 37 total tackles on his way to a national title with the Bulldogs in 2021. Now, he joins a Jacksonville team that’s coming off yet another year at the bottom of the NFL. 

The Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the 2021 draft and proceeded to go 3–14 last season. First-year coach Urban Meyer lasted just one tumultuous season after several off-the-field incidents and poor results culminated in his firing. Jacksonville hired Doug Pederson to replace him. 

Pederson won a Super Bowl with the Eagles after the 2017 season, and the addition of Walker is the first step to trying to deliver a Lombardi Trophy to Duval County. 

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