Jaguar Report

2022 NFL Draft: Has Travon Walker Become a Legit Option For Jaguars at No. 1?

Could the Jaguars really select Georgia's Travon Walker at No. 1? That seems to be a possiblity that is continuing to pick up steam in the media.

John Shipley

Could the Jacksonville Jaguars really shock the NFL world and pick Georgia edge defender Travon Walker at No. 1 overall? 

With a month ahead of the draft, that seems to be the biggest and boldest question facing the franchise. The Jaguars finished 3-14 last season and obtained the No. 1 overall pick for the second draft in a row. Jacksonville has widely been assumed to select Michigan edge defender Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 overall, but Walker is a player whose name has continued to pick up steam.

The most recent insider to stoke the Walker flame? Pro Football Network's Tony Pauline, who reported Friday that Walker is expected to be in contention for consideration at No. 1 overall. This tracks with general manager Trent Baalke's past draft history at defensive end, which has led many in the league to believe the Jaguars will be high at the Georgia product.

"Yet, within league circles, a new name has come forth as a real possibility to be the top pick of the 2022 NFL Draft: Travon Walker of Georgia," Pauline wrote.

"Sources have confirmed that the Jaguars have targeted Walker as a player they could take with the first pick. Sources have also confirmed that Walker will be sitting down with the front office and top brass of the organization in the coming weeks. The team will do its due diligence on Georgia’s defensive lineman."

Meanwhile, The Athletic's Dane Brugler offered a similar assessment of the No. 1 overall pick. Brugler, who is one of the more plugged-in draft writers and reporters, stated Friday that Hutchinson should still be the favorite to go No. 1 overall but that the Jaguars will likely be high on Walker, an athletic marvel who lined up all over the defense for Georgia. 

The Jaguars added seven players to six position groups during the first wave of free agency, spending more than any other team as they added a linebacker, interior defensive lineman and cornerback.

One position the Jaguars didn't add to, though, was the pass-rush. The Jaguars didn't sign a single edge rusher and actually lost depth at the position due to the expiring contracts of Jihad Ward and Lerentee McCray. Combine this with the Jaguars franchise-tagging left tackle Cam Robinson and the team's apparent confidence in Walker Little and Jawaan Taylor, and it seems likely the Jaguars will address the pass-rush with the No. 1 overall pick. 

“I think anytime you can add a pressure player to your team on the defensive side … If you look at my track record in San Francisco with what we did there relative to the edge pressure, that is a positive," Baalke said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. 

"This draft happens to be a good draft. There is going to be depth into the second and even the third round in terms of acquiring those types of players.”

In 2020, Walker played in nine games and recorded 1.0 sack, 2.0 tackles for loss, one interception, and one forced fumble. Walker then had a career season in 2021, starting all 15 games as Georgia finished the year as National Champions. During Georgia's title run, Walker recorded 6.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and a team-high 36 quarterback hurries.

Hutchinson played in just three games in 2020 due to a fractured ankle that prematurely ended his season. He recorded 15 tackles and one pass deflection in those contests before a monstrous senior season that saw him finish second in Heisman Trophy voting as he was named a consensus All-American. During the 2021 campaign, Hutchinson recorded 14 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three pass deflections.

It would be a surprise at this point if Walker wasn't in some kind of consideration for the No. 1 overall pick, but the Jaguars have likely known for some time who they would take at 1 regardless. With a draft as wide open as this one, no player should be ruled out.

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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