In a surprising move from the Jacksonville Jaguars, they spend the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Georgia edge defender Travon Walker, ahead of Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Walker is a versatile rusher who has the athletic profile to play at any position along the defensive line. He uses great leverage, often popping the offensive lineman with his strong hands, and lifting them up before powering through them.
He’s able to use those long arms to keep any lineman attempting to recreate that leverage at bay, and slide past them. His untapped production at Georgia had to be tempting for the Jags, hoping to turn his would-be sacks into 12-plus sacks per year, and his ceiling certainly could allow for that.
Jacksonville opted for the opposite of the safe pick here, and will count on his extremely impressive physical traits to mold into a dominant edge defender for the next decade opposite the already impressive Josh Allen, who had similar physical upside coming out three years ago. It is a big swing that has the serious potential to pay off in a big way.
