Travon Walker flashes dominant traits in his NFL debut

Jacksonville Jaguars top pick Travon Walker wasted no time showing off his outstanding traits in his NFL debut against the Raiders.

Overreacting to anything in the preseason is not a wise practice, but the Jacksonville Jaguars have every reason to be excited about top pick Travon Walker after what he showed in his preseason debut.

Walker finished his first preseason game with just one tackle, but he had a sack and a QB hit and showed off his freakish traits that landed him atop this year’s draft board.

Walker was flagged for roughing the passer in this game as well, but there’s nothing to be concerned about there.

There is, however, every reason to be excited.

Getting a consistent presence off the edge is tough in today’s NFL. Travon Walker didn’t exactly have the most fanfare of any top overall pick in the last decade or so.

In fact, he might have been the most ‘unexciting’ top overall pick since Eric Fisher back in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Although Walker wasn’t a needle-moving selection for the media, he’s got the physical traits and overall athleticism to be an even better pro than he was a college player at Georgia on their star-studded defense.

With the Jaguars, he will be pairing up with Josh Allen to give the Jags a really disruptive young duo off the edge. That’s something the Jaguars have desperately needed and head coach Doug Pederson understands the value of winning in the trenches.

That was unquestionably the biggest strength for the Eagles when they went on their Super Bowl run.

Jacksonville has a long way to go to match that kind of depth and experience, but getting Walker this offseason was a huge step in the right direction for them, even if his college statistical production didn’t match what you’d typically expect of a top overall pick.

Regardless of statistical perception, Walker is a good player and anyone that turned on the tape from Georgia’s 2021 season could see his disruptive traits and how he can make an impact from a variety of positions.

Walker has the ability to play off the edge, he can slide inside, he can drop into coverage — and he did do all of those things at Georgia.

In the NFL, where everyone is going to be trying to copy the success Dan Quinn had with Micah Parsons last year, a player like Travon Walker with such versatility, speed, explosiveness, and play strength can be a household name in no time.

We caught plenty of glimpses of that in his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders.