The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off their training camp on Monday and now have three days under their belts in what will be a long journey to the regular season. On Wednesday, No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker was the player who spoke with the media to explain how he’s getting acclimated to the NFL.
Walker said he was happy to return to the practice field after a pre-camp break that lasted over a month, but said he’s ready for Sunday to arrive. As fans know, that’s the date when the pads go on and four days before the Jags’ first preseason game.
“I’m really ready to get into pads now because I’ve been out of pads so long, since the national championship, and to just finally really strike somebody and be as physical as I can,” Walker said. “I’m ready to get back to that.”
Understandably, the rookie would want to get back to padded practices when considering how much of a physical presence he brought on the field at Georgia. Additionally, Walker is transitioning after years of practicing with Kirkby Smart, who is one of the more intense coaches from the collegiate level.
There was no doubt that Walker would come into camp ready when considering his work ethic, and fans got to witness it a bit through social media. The rookie was among the players who veteran Josh Allen was able to round up to workout with former Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis and The Original Gridiron Gang crew in early July.
When asked about what he was able to learn in the process, Walker said Mathis told him to remain patient through his rookie season and focus on the smaller things. Once that happens, Mathis added that the rest will fall in place.
“I learned a lot from him,” Walker said about Mathis. “One of the main things he told me is be patient. Everything will come. Once I start to realize the small things within my moves, everything will start to tie together from there. Like I say, I was always trying to work on my hand-eye coordination. It all starts with my get-off. If I’m getting off the ball, the offensive linemen are going to have to commit to me at sometime, so I let my fluidity and my speed work for itself.”
Getting advice from an NFL legend like Mathis is huge, and with Walker having to deal with the pressure of being a first-round pick, it’s good to see he has several people in his corner to prepare him. He’ll likely get his first NFL action on the field in a little over a week in the Hall-of-Fame Game, and hopefully, fans will get to see him apply some of the things he learned this offseason on the field.
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