Ranking Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 draft class one year later: Who's at the top?
• Here's a ranking of all seven players one year later
No. 2 Jacksonville Jaguars pick from the 2022 NFL Draft: Travon Walker, 1st Round, OLB
The Jaguars had their fair share of choices with the No. 1 pick last year but ultimately chose Travon Walker. Other players they could've drafted were Aidan Hutchinson and Kavyon Thibodeaux. Both of them are off to a better start to their respective NFL careers than Walker but that doesn't make him a bad selection.
See, Walker made the transition to standup linebacker after playing with his hand in the ground at Georgia. The top brass rightfully expected an adjustment period but Walker has progressively gotten better, even if his numbers don't pop off the stat sheet. Either way, other pass rushers selected early in the top 10 of the draft needed time to hit their stride but ultimately turned out fine (e.g. Mario Williams, Jadeveon Clowney).
It's not time to get fidgety about Walker yet but expectations should increase considerably in Year 3.
No. 1 Jacksonville Jaguars pick from the 2022 NFL Draft: Travon Walker, 1st Round,OLB
Players experience and adjustment period coming out of college. Some have a more seamless transition while others struggle early on. That was the case of Devin Lloyd last year. Although he missed training camp with a hamstring injury, he was named the starter in Week 1. That looked like the right decision when he went on to register two interceptions and six passes defensed in the first five weeks.
However, Lloyd hit a rookie wall and was benched in favor of Chad Muma. He eventually returned to the lineup but it's fair to say that the former Utah Ute underperformed in his first rookie season. On the bright side, Lloyd said in training camp that the game had slowed down for him, and it shows. The California native has consistently made plays for the Jaguars, even when he played with his cast.
In retrospect, trading back into the first round to draft Devin Lloyd after drafting Travon Walker was a smart move.
Here are other recent Jaguars stories you may enjoy:
manual