The 2022 NFL Draft is officialy underway, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have selected a dominant defensive player. On Thursday night, the Jaguars selected University of Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker No. 1 overall in the draft in Las Vegas. The Jaguars took him over University of Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who at one point was projected to be the No. 1 pick early in the draft process.
Walker was a key player in the Georgia Bulldogs’ run to the national championship in 2021. In 15 games, Walker finished with 37 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and a team-high 36 QB hurries. Walker had seven QB hurries in the College Football Playoff Championship game against Alabama. He moved up the draft board as scouts saw him work out during the offseason.
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Before the draft, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke talked about the process of selecting the top pick in the draft. “There’s so much that goes into these decisions,” Baalke said, per the Jaguars’ official website. “It’s not just the film. It’s all the other things that go into the guy having success or not having success. Most of the time they don’t fail because they’re not physically gifted; they fail for other reasons. Making sure that we’ve done all of our due diligence in those areas is critical to the decision-making process.”
And when talking about Hutchinson and Walker, Baalke said: “They’re both productive in their way. [They played in] totally different schemes and were used differently in those schemes. You’re looking at how they made their plays, how they were used and then you have a vision for how you can use them. All of that plays a part. Traits are important. Production is important. You weigh it all.”
The Jaguars had the No. 1 overall pick for the second consecutive year. In 2021, the team selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence who had a rocky rookie season, throwing for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions with a 71.9 passer rating. The Jaguars finished the 2021 season with a 3-14 record. They brought in Doug Pederson as the head coach and brings a winning pedigree as he led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl title during the 2017 season.
