2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: DL/Edge Travon Walker, Georgia
Travon Walker, EDGE/DL
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 275 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Georgia
A former five-star recruit from Upson Lee High School in Thomaston, Georgia, Walker was the second-ranked Georgia recruit and the third-ranked defensive tackle recruit in the 2019 cycle. According to 247 Sports, he is the 431st ranked prospect in their database.
Notables
Walker figures to be a better professional than he was a college player--not that he was bad at Georgia. He was in a part-time role up until his junior season, where he still wasn’t an every-down player. Walker made 33 tackles, 7.5 for a loss, six sacks, and two passes defended while pressuring the quarterback 34 times in 2021.
He finishes his career at Georgia with 61 tackles, 13 for a loss, 9.5 sacks, an interception, and 60 pressures. He was a freshman All-American in 2019. He was versatile enough to align all over the Bulldog’s defensive line. His best fit could be an ODD 5-T, but he can be kicked inside effectively on passing downs.
Strengths
- Freaky chiseled frame
- Very long arms allow him to dictate terms with OTs
- Excellent closing burst into the pocket
- Moves well laterally around block on the LOS
- Can quickly penetrate interior gaps from outside shade
- Great explosiveness low to high into contact
- Good, quick, first step allows him to convert speed to power
- Heavy hands, loud, demanding pop on contact
- A violent, physical, player with excellent play strength at the point of attack
- Very good run defender who uses length well
- Plays with good leverage despite tall frame
- Violent when shedding blocks, great grip strength
- Has a lot of pass-rushing moves (doesn’t consistently string them together)
- Whatever move he uses tends to have some success
- Combines power/lower body drive into his pass-rushing moves
- Good pursuit in open space
- Solid processor who handled many responsibilities
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Can Improve
- Doesn’t bend the edge like other EDGE rushers in the class
- Not very experienced (only one season with more than 200 snaps)
- Hand placement/timing can be refined
- Used pure superior strength/physicality to win often in college
- Takes a while for him to get to counter move as pass-rusher, stubborn, and needs to quickly move on when a move fails
Summary
Overall, Travon Walker is an imposing DL/EDGE player who is a great run defender; he’s difficult to reach because of his length and foot quickness. His strength is hard to combat when OTs attempt to down block and his penetration skills are excellent off the line.
Walker can push the pocket with strength and has a lot of pass-rushing moves. Though his moves might not be overly refined in terms of placement, he needs to learn to string them together consistently. Still, the raw strength and power in these moves, combined with Walker’s incredible athletic ability/length, are difficult to find, even in the NFL.
On a defense stacked with talent-- Georgia could have eight players selected in the top 100, Walker has a realistic shot to be the first off the board.
GRADE: 6.7
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