Is Former No. 1 Pick Becoming Everything Jaguars Hoped For?

There aren't many pass-rushers playing better than Travon Walker as of late; has he become the player the Jacksonville Jaguars always hope?

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) is introduced before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Have the Jacksonville Jaguars finally hit the jackpot on the Travon Walker development lottery? It certainly seems so.

The Jaguars swung for the fences when they selected Walker with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and they have never been ones to shy away from that reality. They knew that going against the grain to select Walker -- a high-ceiling, traits-based prospect -- over the consensus No. 1 player in Aidan Hutchinson was always a gamble.

Now, that gamble appears to be paying off as Walker continues to hit stride after stride in Year 3 of his career.

After recording his sixth sack of the season in Sunday's 32-16 win over the New England Patriots, Walker now has 16 sacks since Week 1 of the 2023 season. That is among the best figures in the entire NFL in that span, just behind names like Trey Hendrickson, T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Josh Hines-Allen, and Danielle Hunter.

Over the last four weeks alone, Walker has four sacks and 22 pressures. He is playing like a dominant force week in and week out, something the Jaguars always hoped for when they took him No. 1 against the grain.

"He definitely improves each week. He's learning different pass rush moves, so you're seeing the power, you're seeing the length," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday.

"Now, really for the whole D-line, now we've got to just
finish better just strain a little bit better and we get a few more sacks. But Travon's in a good
place. He works at it during the week, and it shows up on game day."

Just two weeks after a career-best three-sack performance vs. the Colts, Walker was arguably the top defender on the field in a must-win against the Patriots. The days of Walker having to learn on the job while rushing the passer are gone. His development is continuing, but he is showing more and more flashes week in and week out that prove why he wasn't a reach at No. 1.

After two-and-a-half years of being compared to Hutchinson and living in his shadow, it is time for Walker to start entering conversations among the NFL's best and most productive pass-rushers.

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