When the Jacksonville Jaguars selected defensive edge rusher Travon Walker as the No.1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the pick was met with all sorts of criticism. Walker was seen as more of a long-term project entering the NFL rather than a ready-to-go player.
Jacksonville took the gamble of Walker rather than selecting edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson out of the University of Michigan. Hutchison was seen as more of the NFL-ready prospect and so far, he has been better than Walker.
Walker hasn’t been awful, but he also hasn’t lived up to the hype that normally comes from the No. 1 overall pick. Now heading into his third season in the NFL, it’s make-or-break time for him. He has been using recent extensions from his teammates as motivation heading into the season.
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images
Defensive star Josh Allen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence recently signed massive contract extensions with the Jaguars. Walker wants to be the next one to do so.
“Just from watching those two guys alone, they show you a lot of the things that they do inside the building, on the field and off the field, just from them being one of the first people in the building to being one of the last people leaving the building,” Walker said. “And just a lot of the extra things they put into the game that you probably won’t get from a game unless you put in that extra (time). So it’s definitely fuel to the fire for me, just seeing those guys doing it the right way. I mean, who wouldn’t want to follow in those footsteps to be in that position one day?”
Last season, Walker posted 52 combined tackles with 10 sacks. He has started to perform better and it looked like the game was slowing down a bit for him. If he can produce another strong season, it could go a long way in him getting a bigger deal when the time comes. NFL teams value consistency and Walker needs to show Jacksonville that he can repeat the impact that he made in 2023. Walker has taken on more of a leadership role this offseason as he looks to become a mainstay with the Jaguars long-term.
“It’s just one of those feelings, that I have guys counting on me,” Walker said. “Throughout my time of playing football, from the collegiate level to now, I’ve had a lot of guys looking up to me, to go out there and handle my business, and they looked at me in a leadership role just because they know the type of person that I am and the type of player that I am.”
Jacksonville has high expectations this season and Walker is a big part of those plans. He needs to step up and be the player that the organization believed they were getting when they drafted him. If he can, the Jaguars could be Super Bowl contenders. If not, his time with the team may not last too much longer.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.