Doug Pederson Breaks Down Jaguars’ Travon Walker’s Debut: ‘He Is Going To Be Fun To Watch’
From his first snap to his last one, Jacksonville Jaguars Travon Walker had all eyes on him during his NFL debut in Thursday's Hall of Fame game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
And with a microscope on him during his first-ever NFL snaps, the No. 1 overall pick didn't disappointment.
"Man, I thought he did some really good things," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the 27-11 loss that saw Walker play three series before the backups came in.
Walker flashed from the first play of the game, beating Raiders left tackle Brandon Parker with a speed-to-power rush and recording a quarterback hit on Jarrett Stidham that made his deep ball flutter in the air. Walker was called for a strange roughing the passer penalty, but the first play of his NFL debut showed all of the reasons why the Jaguars drafted him. He was too big, too fast, too strong for blockers.
The penalty helped the Raiders get into early field goal position, but that didn't matter nearly as much as the traits Walker showed. The Jaguars want Walker to continue to be him, even if rookie moments arise.
"It is just going to come from watching it, learning from it. But that is something you just, you never try to slow down his athleticism and power that way, but he will learn from it and be better," Pederson said about the penalty.
On the day as a whole, Walker recorded three pressures, a sack and a quarterback hit, while also recording several impressive sheds in the running game. Eventually the Raiders began to even double-team Walker or chip him with tight ends and running backs, a reflection of the disruption he was causing.
"There was some early good, quick pass rushes in there. He was very disruptive," Pederson said.
"You know, showed his length, his athleticism, his power. You know and, he is going to be fun to watch I think all season."
Walker had arguably the best combine performance of any defensive player in 2021, measuring at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds but still running a 4.51 40-yard dash (98th percentile), a 36-inch vertical jump (80th percentile), 123-inch broad jump (87th percentile), 6.89-second three-cone (93rd percentile), and a 4.32 20-yard shuttle (76th percentile).
Walker had a successful first season at Georgia, earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2019 as he was named a co-winner of Georgia's Defensive Newcomer of the Year award. In 12 games, Walker finished with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and one pass deflection while also contributing on kickoff coverage units.
In 2020, Walker played in nine games and recorded 1.0 sack, 2.0 tackles for loss, one interception, and one forced fumble. Walker then had a career season in 2021, starting all 15 games as Georgia finished the year as National Champions. During Georgia's title run, Walker recorded 6.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and a team-high 36 quarterback hurries.
Walker has worked strictly at outside linebacker since the Jaguars made him the first overall pick, an adjustment from his swiss army knife role at Georgia that saw him play both on the edge and inside between tackles.
Through one preseason game, all signs are positive on Walker's development and what he may bring to the Jaguars this season. The Jaguars gambled on Walked at No. 1, and nothing about Thursday's performance indicates that it was a bad bet.
