One of the biggest questions surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft was what direction would take with the top pick. They were set at quarterback after selecting Trevor Lawrence first overall the year prior, so they were expected to go offensive tackle or pass rusher. In the end, they went with Travon Walker, a raw talent with elite athletic traits. Fast forward to 2025, and the decision to pass on the pro-ready Aidan Hutchinson to take him is still being dissected.
Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson discussed on the Check the Mic podcast whether the Jags made the right call when they drafted Walker, arguing that Hutchinson was, without a doubt, the better prospect of the two.
All things considered, Walker has been a solid player, registering 24 sacks, three forced fumbles, with one interception. However, Palazzolo doesn't think he's lived up to his draft billing.
"The Travon Walker apologist will say, Well, he's an elite run defender, and he gets 10 plus sacks per season. What else do you want from the number one overall pick?" Palazzolo wondered. "Well, it's the down-to-down production from Travon Walker that hasn't been there at the level of a number one overall pick, right?"
Palazzolo continued, "That type of production, if you got that late first or into the second, and you're heading into Year 4, you could say, okay, that's not bad, even [Kayvon] Thibodeau is higher in all those ranks. But similarly, you could say kind of disappointing for maybe a top 10 edge rusher, and what he started out as."
However, Palazzolo believes the fourth-year pass rusher still has plenty of untapped potential and is trending in the right direction.
"On the other hand, I do think Trayvon Walker is coming off of his best season, and for a player with that athletic profile, the speed to power that he shows, which is unbelievable sometimes. He does have some unreal freak plays. It does bode well that maybe heading into Year 4, Travon trending in the right direction and has a chance to continue to progress with the athletic profile, and I would say, the production starting to catch up. The way I view production — not based off sack totals, but based off of snap to snap, the way he's played," Palazzolo said.
Monson then chimes in and states that Hutchinson is most definitely the better player but Walker is becoming a good player in his own right.
"There's no way you can slice it, where you say that Travon Walker has been the better selection thus far. But I do think the gap is closing in that Travon Walker is moving in that direction. Run defense, I do think is his better area of the game. I think the pass rush is still a work in progress, but you can see the power, you can see the quickness, the explosiveness. So yeah, I think he's becoming he is a solid player at the moment who plays an absolute ton of snaps like that," Monson said.
For context, Hutchinson logged 9.5 sacks and three interceptions as a rookie. He followed that up with 11.5 sacks and one pick the following year. The former Michigan Wolverine was making a strong bid for the Defensive Player of the Year before he broke his tibia and fibula. He's been cleared to return to action but may need a bit of time to fully hit his stride.
The Jaguars are pleased with Travon Walker (and probably wouldn't change the pick)
The new regime didn't draft Travon Walker, but it's abundantly clear that it's in love with him, wasting no time to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. Both head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone have showered him with praise. It's easy to see why.
Walker was productive in 2024 despite the fact that he was asked to add unnecessary weight and the defense as a whole struggled. With Ryan Nielsen getting the boot and Anthony Campanile taking over the defense, the Thomaston, Georgia native is expected to make a massive leap in Year 4.
Does that mean the Jaguars drafted the better player? No. Injury notwithstanding, Aidan Hutchinson was better. Then again, Walker was no slouch. The Detroit Lions have made it clear that they would have taken him if Hutchinson had gone to Jacksonville.
Ultimately, Walker has shown immense progress the past two years is is quickly narrowing the gap. If he takes yet another step in 2024, the decision to draft him first overall in 2024 will look considerably better than it does right now, and it already looks good.