The 2022 NFL Draft is officially underway and the Jacksonville Jaguars started things off with a bang. We grade all 32 first-round picks.
The 2022 NFL Draft is finally underway. How’d we do in our final first-round mock drafts out there?
The top 32 picks are in the books and some outstanding talent is still on the board, but who came off the board in the first round and what kind of value did each team get at their respective picks?
Some teams got some great fits and even some steals in round one while others…not so much.
It’s impossible to truly “grade” any draft selections until these players have had the chance to prove themselves on the field. However, we will be grading based on the team’s need, perceived fit, and the player’s value based on where he was expected to be selected
2022 NFL Draft grades: Jacksonville Jaguars select Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Grade: B
Was this the right selection for the Jacksonville Jaguars? Are they taking too big of a risk here with Walker instead of just taking the “safer” prospect in Aidan Hutchinson?
The NFL Draft is all about risk, no matter what, and frankly, this was the perfect year to take a calculated risk on a player with massive athletic upside.
After what we saw last season from Micah Parsons in Dallas, we’re going to see more and more teams playing copycat and trying to find defenders with a similar level of physical skill and versatility.
We saw glimpses of that last season at Georgia where Walker did everything. He stood up and rushed from the edge. He rushed from the interior defensive line. He dropped into coverage.
And he excelled at all of it.
I’m giving this pick an average “B” grade because Walker only had 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in over 30 games for the Bulldogs. His impact was felt in ways that didn’t impact the box score, no doubt, but the Jaguars better hope he becomes a consistent double-digit sack guy if they are investing the top overall pick in him.