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The tides seemed to shift a great deal in the weeks leading up to the draft. Despite Aidan Hutchinson seemingly being pegged as the number one overall pick for quite some time, Travon Walker burst onto the scene. The Georgia defensive end managed to raise his draft stock and had his name called first overall. Walker had an impressive NFL combine and is an intriguing overall talent. His combination of size and versatility gives him an incredibly high ceiling as a prospect.
The frightening part about Travon Walker is he is seemingly nowhere near his ceiling as a player. His biggest strength is his size. His 6'5”, 275-pound frame gives him the versatility to move around the line. Walker has long arms that he uses to his advantage when pursuing the opponent. The Jacksonville Jaguars hope for Travon Walker to become a valuable part of their long-term future and to help kick start their defense.
Travon Walker is headed to the @Jaguars! @44Ytw
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/1kTfNXtPLY
— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2022
3 predictions for 2022 top-pick Travon Walker in rookie year with Jaguars:
Travon Walker will not register a sack in the first 6 weeks
While Walker is sure to get an opportunity early on, this pick was taken with long-term consideration. In his three years in college, Walker totaled just 61 tackles and 9.5 sacks. He produced some eye-popping plays but lacks the numbers most would hope for when drafting at this slot.
Travon Walker is a tough player with impressive physicality, but he still has work to do as a pass rusher. Expect him to struggle a little bit out of the gate when he makes the NFL leap. Technical issues are put on full display at the next level and Walker still has some cleaning up to do in this area.
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Travon Walker will tally 35+ tackles
With his pass rush moves still in development, Walker's ability to impact the rushing game is where he can shine early on. The Georgia native tends to bank on his size and strength by bull-rushing opposing offensive lineman. Look for Walker to attempt to push the line and muck up the opposing run game to create some early impact.
The Jaguars were the 29th ranked team in opposing rushing touchdowns allowed and 23rd ranked in rushing yards allowed. The franchise would benefit a great deal from Walker being able to help change this. It may not come with the shine of sacking the quarterback, but stopping the run game is just as important to winning games.
The Jaguars will not play Walker every down
In addition to the raw ability that Walker still possesses, there are also some stylistic concerns about his fit with the Jags. Jacksonville lacks edge rushing, but Walker is more known for his 5-down technique. The Jaguars traditionally have their edge rushers utilize a two-point stance so there must be a compromise made.
Expect Walker to rotate in as the Jaguars feel necessary and for them to experiment with his usage. Most people expect the number one overall pick to be a day-one significant contributor, but this is not quite the case with Travon Walker. Expect him to make some notable improvements throughout the season. If Walker struggles early on in the season, people must not read too much into his long-term value. The top selection is a work-in-progress and the Jaguars are aware of this going in. However, a work in progress that is still capable of making a positive impact could turn out a scary scene for the rest of the NFL.
