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Jacksonville Jaguars selected Travon Walker with the first overall pick in the 2022NFL Draft. - Walker wasn't present in at the draft in Las Vegas, instead watching from Atlanta with loved ones.
LAS VEGAS — The Jacksonville Jaguars made a big bet to open the NFL's first draft in Las Vegas, selecting Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker with the first overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Walker is coming off of a sensational season with the Bulldogs, who finished the year as one of the most dominant defenses in the history of college football.
For Jacksonville, Walker represents a big swing at a better future for a franchise that has cleared six wins in a season just once since 2010. Last year, the Jaguars woes hit a new low with the hiring and impressively swift firing of head coach Urban Meyer.
After a 3-14 campaign, the Jaguars are ready to reset once again, and will hope that Walker emerges as a new defensive anchor for the team.
Walker was not present in Las Vegas for the draft, choosing instead to watch the night from Atlanta with friends and family.
It's not hard to see why the Jaguars fell in love with Walker. An impressive chase-down tackle in the College Football Playoff championship game showed off the jaw-dropping speed and power Walker possesses.
—WBG84 (@WBG84) April 17, 2022
All told, five players from the 2021 Georgia defense, which won a national championship, were selected in the first round of the draft — the most defensive players from a single school selected in the first round in NFL history.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had largely been projected to go first overall to the Jaguars, but at some point in the past few days the tides shifted, with Walker's potential upside too big for Jacksonville to pass up.
Walker won't be heading to Jacksonville alone, as the Jaguars also added Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd to their defense with the No. 27 pick on Thursday night after trading back into the first round.
Together, the tandem will attempt to turnaround a defense that was one of the worst in the league last season, giving up nearly 27 points per game, more than all but four teams in the NFL.