One silver lining of the Urban Meyer debacle was that the Jacksonville Jaguars were so bad that they secured the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Given that they had several roster needs, they could've gone in several directions. In the end, the Jags settled on defensive end Travon Walker. Looking back, they got it right. Sure, the Detroit Lions took Aidan Hutchinson one pick later, but as the New York Giants proved, it could have been worse.
With the seventh overall selection, the Giants picked Evan Neal. One of his biggest assets at the time was his versatility to play different positions. That made him a realistic target for Jacksonville at No. 1 even though Cam Robinson was firmly entrenched as the left tackle at the time, because Neal could have played guard in Duval.
However, the Jags passed on Neal, and New York just validated the decision.
The Jaguars were right to pass on Evan Neal
Despite the fact that Evan Neal missed the 2025 season, the Giants gave him a one-year deal in the offseason. With John Harbaugh taking over the team, Neal had a chance to rebuild his career but failed to take advantage of the opportunity and was given the boot during the final roster cuts.
The former Alabama standout has since landed on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad, showing just how much his stock has plummeted.
Now, Neal wasn't the favorite to go first overall in 2022, but he was certainly an option. At the time, then-head coach Doug Pederson stated that you can never have too many offensive linemen, so Jacksonville could have taken Neal, plugged him in at left guard and eventually moved him to left tackle.
Aside from Neal, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Ikem Ekwonu were other players who were linked to the Jags. Both of them have certainly had their moments and have turned out to be better players than Neal. Still, the Jaguars must feel great about picking Walker over all three.
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Trevon Walker has become a mainstay of the Jaguars defense
While Evan Neal has struggled, Travon Walker has become a mainstay of the Jacksonville defensive front. Although he hasn't been nearly as dominant as fellow pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, he's far from a slouch. Walker had somewhat of a quiet rookie campaign in 2022 but went on to post 10 sacks in each of the next two seasons.
The former Georgia Bulldog was set to have yet another productive year in 2025, but knee and hand injuries slowed him down. Nevertheless, the Jags were so confident that he was going to bounce back that they gave him a new $110 million extension.
You can say what you want about Trent Baalke. Heck, his 2022 draft class doesn't look particularly great in retrospect, but at least he got the first overall selection right.
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