Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell: Travon Walker's Skillset is 'Like a Unicorn'
Mike Caldwell is excited.
It is hard for the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator not to be excited ahead of his first season leading a defense after the investments the Jaguars made in his unit this offseason. And chief among those investments is No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, who Caldwell sees rare talent in.
“You think about the size – his height, his weight, his speed – it’s like a unicorn. He is unique," Caldwell said at TIAA Bank Field on Thursday.
"He plays that way and you see it on tape. You see the burst, you see the speed, you see the moves he has. We are excited about him and I think he will be ready to roll.”
Walker has stood out since his first practice at rookie minicamp for his athletic ability at his size. It isn't surprising, either, considering the monster numbers he put up at this year's NFL Scouting Combine and the movement skills he displayed week in and week out at Georgia.
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).
“I am excited about him. I saw the size, the work ethic is there. He has tools to work with, so I am excited about it," Caldwell said.
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.
"I think his best position is outside linebacker because of his length, his athletic ability going against tackles. That is a premium position in this defense," Caldwell said. "He can play other positions, but his home for us is outside linebacker where we see him being a force. We are going to try to mold him and let him take off and go.”
The Jaguars are hoping Walker can make an immediate impact on a team that had no defenders with more than 7.5 sacks last year and just two players with more than three sacks. The Jaguars had one of the worst sack rates in the league a year ago, largely due to a lack of a consistent force on the other side of veteran Josh Allen.
The Jaguars have big ideas for what Walker can be and what he can turn into. To them, he could be the answer they have been looking for at outside linebacker for several years now. But it will take Walker and Caldwell's staff to ensure that happens.
"Right now his skillset is getting after the quarterback. We are going to allow him to do that," Caldwell said.
"The way that he does it, that possibly could change. But right now we are trying to get him comfortable and when he’s out there and it’s not [too much thinking] … We just want him to go out there and play. Once he is playing, we will be able to adjust what we do with him.”
