Georgia superstar TE Brock Bowers has ultimate praise for Jaguars OLB Travon Walker

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Travon Walker first overall in 2022 because they thought he had the physical traits to develop into a dominant pass rusher in the NFL. Recent comments by one of Walker's former teammates at Georgia suggest that the Jags weren't alone in their assessment.

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers made an appearance on Pro Football Talk. He was asked to name the "freakest of the freaks" through his time with the Bulldogs. His response without hesitation was Travon Walker. He had a bit of a hard time coming up with a second one but settled on fellow tight end Darnell Washington, who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 3 of the 2023 draft.

"Travon Walker, going against him, my freshman year I first got there. This little freshman me I was skinny, and he was on the other side of the ball doing the six-tech and just banging on it," Bowers said. "It was awful. And he was the freakest dude I think I've seen come through there."

Bowers was later asked who were the top players he had to face. He picked defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Aidan Hutchinson. Here's Bowers' sitdown on Pro Football Talk.

A four-star prospect coming out of high school, Bowers is one of the top prospects heading into this year's draft. Winner of the John Mackie Award in back-to-back seasons, he's expected to go as early as the top 10. He posted 56 receptions for 714 yards and six touchdowns last year. At 6'10", he checks off all the boxes you want in a tight end, even his blocking skills are just ok.

Jaguars OLB Travon Walker is trending in the right direction

The decision to draft Travon Walker has come under scrutiny since the Jacksonville Jaguars made him the top pick in the 2022 draft. At the time of his selection, he was seen as a developmental prospect. The fact that they passed on the more NFL-ready Aidan Hutchinson did nothing but add fuel to the fire.

In Jacksonville, Walker made the transition to standup linebacker after mostly playing with his hand on the ground at Georgia. He went on to have a relatively quiet rookie campaign, registering 3.5 sacks, with five total tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception. Having gotten accustomed to rushing the passer from a two-point stance, Walker fared much better in Year 2, tallying 10 sacks, and 10 tackles for a loss.

Walker is now entering his third NFL season and there are reasons to believe he'll continue to get better. Besides being a more experienced player, he will most likely benefit from the arrival of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen this offseason.

During his stint as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, Nielsen helped them improve in nearly every meaningful defensive category. However, his specialty is the defensive line, and his presence should have a positive impact on Walker. Also working in Walker's favor is that the Jaguars retained outside linebacker Bill Shuey, an important piece in his development.

Brock Bowers and the Jaguars know how talented Travon Walker is. They had a taste of what he could accomplish last year. With Ryan Nielsen in the fold, he may be even better in 2024.