Baalke and Pederson Explain Why the Jaguars Drafted Walker No. 1

Why did the Jaguars' brass decide on Travon Walker at No. 1 overall?

The Jacksonville Jaguars don't have the same concerns with Travon Walker that those who are apprehensive of the No. 1 pick have. Quite the opposite. 

Instead, the Jaguars saw what so many evaluators and scouts and coaches have seen. The upside. The versatility. The sheer athletic traits. 

"He played all the way up and down the line of scrimmage, anywhere from a zero technique all the way to a seven technique. Played in the two point off the edge, which he's going to be used a lot in our scheme," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said. 

"Just his athleticism, his length, his ability to bend the corner. The thing that you see with this guy is his versatility. He played all up and down the defensive line at Georgia. Just a tremendous kid," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Thursday night following the selection of Walker with the first overall pick. 

"He's going to be great for the locker room. Really, I think, for us, too, just getting him in here, getting him going as soon as we can, and I think getting him in one position and letting him really get good at one position, and that's where we feel he's really going to make the most impact for us."

Walker, of course, comes with his own package of risks. The former five-star recruit played multiple roles in Georgia's defensive scheme as opposed to learning and growing at one position. After three years in college he has just 9.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and one year of starting experience. 

But the Jaguars are comfortable with his production. As Baalke explained on Thursday, there is more than one way to look at production, especially when comparing it to other prospects.

"Yeah, you can't make excuses for any player. What we can do is look at the film and watch production. There's a lot of things that go into production," Baalke said. "It's not at the end of the day how many sacks they tally or how many pressures they have. There's a run element to the game, too. So there's a lot of ways to look at production, and we feel very comfortable about his production run and pass with a lot of upside."

"But again, he's got to come in like these young guys do, they've got to come in and earn it."

 Walker had a successful first season at Georgia, earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2019 as he was named a co-winner of Georgia's Defensive Newcomer of the Year award. In 12 games, Walker finished with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and one pass deflection while also contributing on kickoff coverage units.

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.

Walker then had arguably the best combine performance of any defensive player in 2021, measuring at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds but still running a 4.51 40-yard dash (98th percentile), a 36-inch vertical jump (80th percentile), 123-inch broad jump (87th percentile), 6.89-second three-cone (93rd percentile), and a 4.32 20-yard shuttle (76th percentile).

The Jaguars have their ideas for Walker and how he will be deployed in defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell's scheme. After playing an interior role at times at Georgia, the Jaguars have made it clear Walker is going to be an edge player in their defense. The Jaguars see the versatility and potential, but they also want him to grow in one position; something he wasn't able to do at Georgia.

"Well, I think when you watch his film, the one thing he does, he does an excellent job of cancelling his gap. They played a very gap-oriented defense," Baalke said. 

"He played up and down the line of scrimmage from the A gap all the way out to the D gap, and he rarely was out of gap. He's a very gap sound football player. They do a good job of coaching there. This young guy is going to come in with some great coaching behind him. He's young, he's 21 years old and a lot to learn, especially when you step into this league and this arena. Again, the expectation is for him to come in, settle him into one position and get him comfortable, get him playing, and then take it from there in terms of the versatility.

The Jaguars believe Walker can play up and down the line. But more importantly, they believe in the developmental plan they have in place for him. That doesn't mean his enticing versatility will be curbed completely, but the Jaguars ultimately took Walker for one reason: to rush the passer off the edge. 

"We've got to get him in here first and we've got to get him in one position. That's one of the things we liked about Travon is his versatility and the fact that he can move up and down the defensive line," Pederson said.

"It's something that as we go and as we grow with him, knowing that he's been able to do that, maybe you come up with a package or two where he goes down inside on third down or something of that nature. But again, for right now, let's get him in here and let's get him working with our guys, with our coaches, get him in one spot and get him with the group."