With the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected former Georgia defensive end, Travon Walker.
Walker broke onto the national scene following a pair of impressive showings in front of countless NFL scouts and executives at the NFL Combine and Georgia’s pro-day. Walker stole the show with his 4.51 forty-yard dash, 35-inch vertical jump, and a 6.89 3-cone time, all while measuring at 6-foot-5 and weighing over 270 pounds.
Many projected Walker to be a mid to late first-round pick before his otherworldly testing at the combine. Fellow teammates Jordan Davis and DeVonte Wyatt were projected to go higher than Walker in some cases. Then the script turned as Walker flew up draft boards.
All you need to know about Travon Walker from an athletic standpoint is that Walker was featured on kickoff coverage for Georgia as a true freshman. After playing behind the likes of Malik Herring and Azeez Ojulari for his first two seasons in Athens, 2021 served as his first time in the spotlight, playing opposite Adam Anderson and Nolan Smith for the majority of the season.
Walker finished the year with six sacks and 37 total tackles as a junior. Walker even made headlines for his punishing playstyle at the point of attack along the line of scrimmage. Walker annihilated a pulling Michigan offensive lineman before getting to the running back for a stop.
The Thomaston, Ga. native becomes the first Georgia defensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft since 2013. Not only does he become the highest-drafted defensive lineman since Jonathan Sullivan was taken sixth overall in the 2003 draft by the Saints, he is now the first Georgia player to be selected with the first overall pick since Matthew Stafford 2009.