ATLANTA — The Battery Atlanta was part of history Thursday, and this time it had nothing to do with the Braves.
Travon Walker, a junior defensive end from Georgia, was the first player selected in the NFL draft. Walker, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound graduate of Upson-Lee High School in Thomaston, was chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had the first pick for a second consecutive year.
“Absolutely, he’s deserving,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said from Las Vegas (the site of the draft) before the draft started Thursday. “I’ve seen more things than anybody else has in practice. … This guy is an elite athlete. We’ve known it all along, I’m just glad everybody else is getting to see it.”
