Travon Walker

Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker is heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft Thursday in Las Vegas.

Jaguars select Georgia’s Travon Walker with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft 🚨

Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville just got a star edge-rusher pic.twitter.com/bgPzqmXw6w

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 29, 2022

Walker is coming off a standout junior season for the Bulldogs as part of the program's run to its first national championship since 1980. He recorded 33 total tackles, six sacks, two passes defended and a fumble recovery across 13 appearances.

He was a 5-star prospect out of high school, but it took a while for him to find his footing at the college level. Yet his improved numbers in 2021 combined with his positional versatility—he can play end or tackle depending on the scheme—made him a coveted draft target.

His NFL-ready frame (6'5'', 272 lbs) gives him a shot to make an immediate impact.

Here's how the Jaguars' defensive depth chart looks after the selection:

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DT: Malcom Brown, Jay Tufele

NT: Folorunso Fatukasi, Davon Hamilton

DE: Travon Walker, Roy Robertson-Harris, Dawuane Smoot

OLB: Josh Allen, Arden Key

MLB: Foyesade Oluokun, Chapelle Russell

WLB: Shaquille Quarterman, Tyrell Adams

OLB: K'Lavon Chaisson, Jordan Smith

CB: Tyson Campbell, Tre Herndon

CB: Shaquill Griffin, Chris Claybrooks

SCB: Darious Williams, Rudy Ford

SS: Andrew Wingard, Andre Cisco

FS: Rayshawn Jenkins, Daniel Thomas

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Walker has yet to prove himself as a game-changing rusher off the edge, in part because of UGA's defensive scheme, but his other tools point toward a highly productive career.

Bleacher Report's Derrik Klassen wrote in his predraft scouting report the 21-year-old Georgia native must "hone his sequencing" when rushing the quarterback, but he otherwise came away impressed with the lineman:

"At 6'5" and 275 pounds, Walker played with his hand in the dirt as a 3-technique, 5-technique and 6-technique, as well as from a stand-up outside linebacker position. He'll likely play 5- and 6-technique in the NFL, but his flexibility at other alignments could make for some devastating situational packages.

"Walker thrives in run defense. His initial punch is as violent as it gets, and he rarely misses. He tends to do a great job controlling blocks following his initial punch, allowing him to keep eyes in the backfield and leverage his gap correctly."

Klassen added the "tools are there" for Walker to improve as a pass-rusher over time too.

For the Jags fanbase, it'll be important at the outset not to place too much of an emphasis on the raw statistics. Walker probably won't post eye-popping numbers right out of the gate as he works to find his niche and refines his technique off the edge.

He'll likely settle in as part of a defensive end rotation led by Malcom Brown and Roy Robertson-Harris to open his debut campaign and, given some development time, should emerge as a key member of the Jacksonville defense in the years ahead.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are seemingly locked in on Travon Walker as the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

"I still have Aidan Hutchinson as my No. 1 player in the draft. That hasn't changed," NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show. "It's been that way through the whole process. But when you're hearing things coming out of Jacksonville and people that are tied in there, everything seems to be pointing toward Walker." 

"I still have Aidan Hutchinson as my number one player in the draft but everything coming out of Jacksonville points towards Travon Walker" ~@MoveTheSticks#PMSDraftSpectacularDay pic.twitter.com/CCdpVKlXFf

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 28, 2022

Hutchinson has been widely ranked as the No. 1 player in this class for several months. The Michigan defensive end finished second in the Heisman balloting after racking up 62 tackles and 14 sacks while leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten title.

While he's widely considered the safest pick in this class, Hutchinson doesn't quite have the athletic ceiling of Walker, who has wowed with his physical prowess during the draft process. The Georgia product ran a 4.51-second time in the 40-yard dash at 272 pounds, showing off his explosive potential.

“I’m enjoying it, I guess, but I’ve got to stay grounded because I haven’t been drafted yet, so there’s no need to get excited now," Walker told Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m just happy to have the opportunity to get drafted and be in the position that I’m in."

Walker's college production pales in comparison to Hutchinson—he had just 13 sacks in 32 games at Georgia—but his ability to move inside and out on the edge makes him attractive to Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke, who has a history of preferring versatile edge-rushers.

Picking Walker would be a big swing that could backfire in a major way if he doesn't turn into a star, while Hutchinson could live up to the potential every other team seemingly sees. 

The first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft may not be the prospect that sits on top of Mel Kiper Jr.'s draft rankings.

The ESPN analyst listed Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson as his top prospect in the 2022 draft class, but there is a growing consensus that the Jacksonville Jaguars will go in a different direction at the same position. 

Georgia defensive end Travon Walker has generated steam across the draft community over the last week as Jacksonville's top selection.

Walker is the No. 1 overall pick in Kiper's final mock draft, in which Hutchinson lands at No. 2 with the Detroit Lions.

Walker carries the most significant disparity between mock draft position and overall ranking. The same can't be said about the top quarterbacks, who are projected to land right around their spots in Kiper's final draft analysis. 

         

Walker Ranked 9th Overall Prospect

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft has been harder to nail down than most of the recent drafts. 

There is no clear-cut top quarterback, and three different defensive ends have been the betting favorite to be the top selection, per Action Network. 

Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux departed the college football season in what appeared to be a two-man race to be the top selection. 

Jacksonville is reportedly not interested in choosing either pass-rusher Thursday night. Walker has become the target. Kiper outlined what the Jaguars' thought process might be when choosing Walker over Hutchinson. 

"This pick has been leaning in this direction for the past week. The Jaguars must prefer what Walker could be over what Aidan Hutchinson already is (and I think Hutchinson will get even better)," Kiper wrote in his last mock draft.

Walker is the ninth-best prospect in the draft class on Kiper's final draft rankings, which is a large disparity for someone expected to go first.

Walker could turn out to be a fantastic player for the Jaguars, but in terms of potential right now, Hutchinson carries a higher ranking. 

The Georgia pass-rusher played on one of the most talented defenses in college football history. That could be backed up by multiple Bulldogs landing in the first round on Thursday. Kiper projected defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt and safety Lewis Cine would be first-round picks. Linebacker Nakobe Dean could also find his way into the first 32 selections. 

There is a chance Walker and Hutchinson both have great careers, which we will not find out for a few years, but for now, the selection of Walker at No. 1 will be met with criticism. 

   

Little Separation Between Willis and Pickett

Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett are the two quarterbacks to watch in the first round. 

Kiper ranked Willis as his 17th overall prospect, and Pickett was one spot behind the Liberty signal-caller. 

The first quarterback chosen may not come until the middle of the first round. Kiper projected the New Orleans Saints could land Pickett at No. 19, and the Pittsburgh Steelers might take Willis at No. 20. 

Pittsburgh enters the draft as one of the teams with a clear quarterback need. It signed Mitch Trubisky in free agency, but it could do better with a first-round pick.

New Orleans owns two first-round selections, and it could go in the direction of a quarterback if it is not 100 percent confident in Jameis Winston. 

The Saints have Winston and Andy Dalton on their roster. Two improvements elsewhere could help them contend in 2022 and wait for a better quarterback crop to come out of college in 2023. 

The weak quarterback class is one of the biggest stories going into Thursday night. Kiper ranked Matt Corral at No. 32 and Desmond Ridder at No. 36 in his overall ranking. Sam Howell is all the way down at No. 68. 

The complexion of the quarterback class would change if a team like the Carolina Panthers or Atlanta Falcons surprised us with a top-10 selection, or if Pittsburgh or another team trades up into the top 10 or 15 picks. 

For now, the expectation is Willis and Pickett are surefire first-round picks and everyone else could hear their names called Thursday, but they should expect to wait until Friday. 

Georgia defensive end Travon Walker has emerged as the favorite to become the first overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL draft Thursday night, but it's reportedly not the consensus within the franchise's front office.

Peter Schrager of NFL Network reported on the apparent disagreement among Jags executives.

"But hours out from the start of Round 1, it sounds like this was hardly a consensus slam-dunk pick (that's inside the building, apparently, too)," Schrager wrote.

Walker will make for an interesting case study a decade down the road if Jacksonville does make him the No. 1 overall pick.

The 21-year-old Georgia native was a combine standout, highlighted by a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, possesses an ideal frame (6'5'', 272 lbs) and showcased terrific versatility within a Bulldogs defensive scheme wherein he was asked to do pretty much everything along the line.

Yet his production doesn't jump off the page. He recorded 61 total tackles, 9.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 29 appearances across three years at UGA.

Those numbers don't scream game-changing defender. So the debate inside the Jags war room likely pits Walker's impressive raw skill set against a stat line that shows he recorded about one sack every three games in college.

The defensive end told Bill Bender of the Sporting News he did what was necessary to help Georgia win games, which didn't include much focus on edge-rushing until his final college season, when he posted six sacks.

"I had to lock in on myself and what was best for my team," Walker said. "I did everything in my power to transition my body for the better of the game to help me transition into the role of a starter in college football."

Ultimately, it's not a major surprise the Jaguars' decision is going down to the wire. This year's class doesn't feature an obvious No. 1 choice; every prospect has substantial work to do before reaching a Pro Bowl level.

Going with Walker is a bet that he will become a dominant force on the edge within two or three years, which is possible but far from guaranteed.

Aidan Hutchinson, who tallied 14 sacks in his final season at Michigan, represents the safer choice thanks to his breakout year, but his numbers were also modest until 2021.

The Jaguars' uncertain direction at No. 1 helps sets the stage for what could be a wild opening round when the draft gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

NFL Network analyst and former pro scout Daniel Jeremiah dropped his final 2022 first-round mock draft.

Jeremiah has already released three iterations of his top-50 big board and three mocks, but Wednesday marked his final takes of the predraft season.

Of note, Jeremiah doesn't see a quarterback going in the top half of the draft, and only two signal-callers made the first round.

Instead, Jeremiah foresees a heavy run on wide receivers, including four going in the top 11.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jeremiah sees one of the draft's top prospects in Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton falling to a team that made the playoffs last year.

Hamilton is among a glut of defensive backs that Jeremiah sees going Thursday, as the draft guru also has four cornerbacks off the board by Day 2.

Unsurprisingly, Georgia is the best-represented school in Round 1, with the defending national champions sporting four first-round players.

Here's a look at how Jeremiah sees Day 1 going alongside some news and notes on a few of his picks.

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Jeremiah's 2022 NFL 1st-Round Mock Draft

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Georgia EDGE Travon Walker

2. Detroit Lions: Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

3. Houston Texans: NC State OT Ickey Ekwonu

4. New York Jets: Cincinnati CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner

5. New York Giants: Alabama OT Evan Neal

6. Carolina Panthers: Mississippi State OT Charles Cross

7. New York Giants (from Chicago Bears): Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson

8. Atlanta Falcons: Alabama WR Jameson Williams

9. New York Jets (projected trade from Seattle Seahawks): USC WR Drake London

10. Seattle Seahawks (projected trade from New York Jets): Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux

11. Washington Commanders: Ohio State WR Chris Olave

12. Minnesota Vikings: LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr.

13. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns): Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson II

14. Baltimore Ravens: Georgia DT Jordan Davis

15. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins): Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton

16. New Orleans Saints (from Indianapolis Colts through Philadelphia Eagles): Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Florida CB Kaiir Elam

18. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints): Washington CB Trent McDuffie

19. New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles): Utah LB Devin Lloyd

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Pitt QB Kenny Pickett

21. New England Patriots: Boston College IOL Zion Johnson

22. Green Bay Packers (from Las Vegas Raiders): Arkansas WR Treylon Burks

23. Arizona Cardinals: Purdue EDGE George Karlaftis

24. Dallas Cowboys: Penn State WR Jahan Dotson

25. Buffalo Bills: Iowa State RB Breece Hall

26. Tennessee Titans: Tulsa OT Tyler Smith

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Houston DT Logan Hall

28. Green Bay Packers: Georgia LB Quay Walker

29. Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco 49ers through Miami Dolphins): Minnesota EDGE Boye Mafe

30. Kansas City Chiefs: Georgia WR George Pickens

31. Cincinnati Bengals: Michigan EDGE David Ojabo

32. Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams): Liberty QB Malik Willis

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2 EDGE, 3 OT in Top 6

Jeremiah sees a pair of edge-rushers going off the board one-two to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, respectively.

Georgia's Travon Walker, who has shot up mock drafts lately, goes No. 1 to the Jags. The recent smoke has connected the player and team to the point where he's the clear -300 favorite ($300 bet to win $100) to land in Jacksonville, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

Jeremiah said on the NFL Network broadcast that he couldn't see Michigan edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson fall past the Lions at No. 2 if Walker went No. 1. Detroit needs defensive help (No. 31 in scoring D), and Hutchinson just polished off a 14-sack season.

Jeremiah then sees a run on offensive tackles with NC State's Ickey Ekwonu, Alabama's Evan Neal and Mississippi State's Charles Cross all going in the top six.

The Houston Texans at No. 3 have plenty of holes and can't really go wrong with whomever they pick, and Ekwonu going there could be the choice at right tackle.

The Giants desperately needed offensive line help after the front simply fell apart last year. They have a stalwart at left tackle in Andrew Thomas, but right tackle is a big question mark. Big Blue would answer that by taking Neal.

Finally, Jeremiah sees the Carolina Panthers going offensive tackle with Cross. The Panthers can opt to pick a quarterback at No. 6 like Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett, but the choice here is Cross, who would supplant himself at left tackle with Taylor Moton on the right side.

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A Run on WR in Nos. 7-11

Jeremiah sees the New York Giants using their first-round pick on a wide receiver for the second straight season by selecting Ohio State's Garrett Wilson with the No. 7 pick.

Last season, the Giants selected Florida's Kadarius Toney with the No. 20 overall selection. However, the Giants had one of the worst offenses in football last year and could use more help on that side of the ball.

The Atlanta Falcons have a lot of holes, but wide receiver might be the biggest one given Russell Gage leaving for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency plus Calvin Ridley's yearlong suspension. Enter Alabama's Jameson Williams, who should form a great one-two pass-catching punch with tight end Kyle Pitts once he's ready to return from a torn ACL suffered during the national championship last January.

Jeremiah then projects the Jets to trade up one spot and part with a fourth-round pick to take the Seattle Seahawks' current spot at No. 9. With that, the Jets would select USC's Drake London, who had 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games last year before suffering a season-ending right ankle fracture.

Finally, the Washington Commanders end the run on wideouts by taking another Ohio State star in Chris Olave, who would slide into the WR2 role alongside former Buckeye great Terry McLaurin.

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Only 2 QB in Round 1

Jeremiah has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting the first quarterback in this year's draft with Pitt's Kenny Pickett staying in town.

The Steelers don't have a long-term solution at quarterback following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.

Pittsburgh did sign free-agent signal-caller Mitch Trubisky on a two-year deal, but the Steelers would be wise to gather more options in order to better bridge the gap into a new era.

Pickett broke out in a big way last year en route to leading the Panthers to an ACC title and a Peach Bowl appearance. He completed 67.2 percent of his passes, threw for 42 touchdowns and added five more scores on the ground. Pickett ended up throwing for 4,319 yards.

Jeremiah then has Liberty's Malik Willis going with the 32nd and final pick in the 2022 NFL draft to the Detroit Lions. It's the best of both worlds for the Lions here, as they get their defensive cornerstone at No. 2 before selecting their franchise quarterback.

The Lions don't necessarily have to hand the reins over to Willis right away with veteran Jared Goff still around, but the high-upside former Flames star would be running the show soon enough.

The Houston Texans may have identified their primary target in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. His availability could be an issue, though.

CBSSports.com's Jonathan Jones reported Texans head coach Lovie Smith is "in love" with Georgia star Travon Walker.

Unfortunately for Houston, Walker has emerged as the consensus favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Following the trade of Deshaun Watson, the rebuild is only now beginning for the Texans. After going 4-13 in 2021, they once again figure to be among the league's worst teams.

What that means for Houston in the first round is that general manager Nick Caserio can go in a number of directions with the No. 3 overall pick and address a clear roster need.

Walker was only tied for 10th on Georgia in total tackles (37), adding 7.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. His stock has soared, though, as the draft approached, and he's all but guaranteed to be selected ahead of teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.

The Bulldogs edge-rusher was the choice for the Texans on Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft.

"While his pass-rushing skills are limited right now, Walker has all the athletic potential to eventually develop into a good pass-rusher after a year or two," B/R NFL scout Derrik Klassen wrote. "The 21-year-old will walk into the league as a strong run defender and an effective twist/stunt piece in the passing game."

Walker's versatility would be perfect for a Texans defense that's starting over, and the fact he's not the finished product isn't much of a concern given the franchise's short-term priorities.

Still, Smith and Caserio might not want to put all of their eggs in one basket considering how highly Walker is rated. Jones reported that "there's a ton of smoke" surrounding the Texans and LSU star Derek Stingley Jr., who would be a nice consolation prize.

Add another mock draft that projects the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Travon Walker with the No. 1 overall pick. 

In his latest mock for NFL.com, Charles Davis says the Jaguars will take the Georgia defensive end.

"He occupied the top spot in each of my previous mock draft exercises, and at the time they were posted, it felt like a bit of a surprise. But now this picks feels real," Davis wrote. "Jags general manager Trent Baalke sees the gifts, traits and all-out effort of this former Bulldog and brings him to Jacksonville."

Rounding out the top five are defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to the Detroit Lions, offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu to the Houston Texans, cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner to the New York Jets and offensive tackle Charles Cross to the New York Giants. 

Davis has Malik Willis as the first quarterback coming off the board at No. 20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He noted Pittsburgh has done "as much visible work on QBs as any team in the draft."

The closer we get to the draft, the more likely it appears Jacksonville will make Walker the top pick. 

ESPN's Todd McShay reported Monday there is a "belief around the league" that the Jaguars prefer Walker's upside and traits "over the proven production, motor and leadership" of Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson. 

Walker set career highs with 7.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 13 games for Georgia last season. He had 9.5 sacks in three years for the Bulldogs. 

Per ESPN's Mina Kimes, Walker would have the fewest career sacks of any edge defender taken in the top three since 2000 if he goes that high in the draft. 

Hutchinson finished second in Heisman Trophy voting last season. He recorded 16.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in 14 games to help Michigan win the Big Ten and reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. 

Along with the debate about who should be the No. 1 pick, the main talking point in this draft is the quarterbacks. No one seems to be enamored with this group of signal-callers. 

Willis is the consensus choice as the quarterback with the highest ceiling because of his arm strength and rushing ability, but his processing is a question mark after he played in a system at Liberty that wasn't complex. 

Davis has Willis and Kenny Pickett (No. 32 to the Detroit Lions) as the only quarterbacks going in the first round.

The last draft with only two quarterbacks taken in the first round was 2015 when Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were the top two picks. The 2013 draft is the last time only one quarterback went in the first 32 picks (E.J. Manuel to the Buffalo Bills at No. 16). 

After months of speculation and projections, all the first-round questions will finally be answered Thursday when the 2022 NFL draft begins.