WATCH: Doug Pederson shares first thoughts on Travon Walker
When Jacksonville held the No. 1 overall pick last year, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the pick, securing the future of their offense. After securing the top pick again during the 2022 NFL Draft, the Jaguars secured the future of their defense by selecting edge rusher Travon Walker out of Georgia.
Head coach Doug Pederson gave his first impressions of Walker on Monday and you can consider him impressed. Pederson described how the former national champion has composed himself during rookie minicamp, saying Walker is critical of himself — enough to where the coaching staff has to slow him down at times.
“He’s been doing really well,” Pederson said. “He’s been in here all last week and really embracing the role. Obviously, been working at the one position and doing extremely well. He’s such a pro, he’s so hard on himself. He doesn’t want to make a mistake and you just got to tell him ‘hey man, just calm down, relax. Everything’s going to be okay. We got plenty of time before we play a game.’ But you like players like that who are critical of themselves and their performance because they want to do well and he’s been one of those guys.”
Walker played along the uber-talented Georgia defensive line, winning a national championship together. After talks of other top prospects potentially getting selected by Jacksonville, Walker ended up being the pick. In a class where pass rushers were littered throughout the draft, the Jaguars felt confident enough in taking him over the likes of Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Early returns on Walker seem positive from Pederson’s perspective. There is still a long way to go in offseason workouts before the edge rusher gets his first taste of NFL action. For now, Walkers seems as if he will continue to keep his head down and work toward becoming a franchise player for Jacksonville.