After being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL draft, Travon Walker spent his rookie season learning the ropes and gaining valuable experience.
But now, with a season of learning under his belt, he’s confident that he can take what he learned and use it to make an even bigger impact in 2023. He declared his optimism with, “I will definitely still be rushing the passer for sure, just at a different level.”
With Walker continuing to learn and develop in the upcoming season, Jacksonville can confidently look forward to even greater production from their talented outside linebacker in 2023.
Travon Walker’s Rookie Year With the Jags
The production from Jaguars linebacker David Walker in his rookie 2022 season wasn’t up to par with expectations set for the number one overall pick, yet he still recorded 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 18 hurries, and an 8.9% pressure rate. Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions outperformed Walker as their number two overall pick had 9.5 sacks and 45 pressures by the end of the season.
However, Jacksonville was not discouraged. General manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson had taken into account that Walker developed predominantly while playing on the inside of the defensive line at Georgia which meant he needed time to accustom himself to pass-rush techniques and tackle opponents outside the line of scrimmage used by veteran offensive players in the NFL.
“Everything that we saw in him in the draft process, we’re so thankful that we drafted him,” Coach Pederson stated. “He’s excited for this offseason. He’s excited for his future. He understands he can get better and he can help us in different ways.
“He wants to take that next step in a leadership role, and I think that’s important for him to do. That’s the next step, to be a dominant edge rusher and even an interior rusher,” he continued.
Remarkable Season of the Jaguars
The 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars were a remarkable team, with an incredible ability to come from behind and win late in games. This defining characteristic of Jaguar’s late-season run to the playoffs was highlighted by their 80-point total deficit overcome in their five home victories.
An amazing comeback was inspirationally achieved against teams such as the Los Angeles Raiders, where they turned a 17-point deficit into a 27–20 victory. It seems like there is no hope for Jacksonville, evidenced by the live odds at FanDuel sportsbook at that time. But the Jags suddenly overwhelm the Raiders and still win. In addition, their hard-fought game against the Baltimore Ravens resulted in erasing a nine-point lead for the Jaguars with their 28–27 result.
The remaining three games had noteworthy deficits of 17, 10, and 27 points respectively, but these losses were all turned around in stunning fashion to culminate in an exciting end to the season for the 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars.
In Addition, In 2022, Trevor Lawrence made significant strides in his development as a quarterback. After a difficult rookie season which saw him throw for 17 interceptions and only 12 touchdowns, Lawrence was able to turn things around in his second year, throwing for 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
This was highlighted by his significantly improved passer rating which jumped from 71.9 in 2021 to 95.2 in 2022 – the fifth-largest improvement from a player’s first to a second season in NFL history. The Jaguars also benefited from Lawrence’s turnaround, winning seven of their final nine regular-season games and clinching an impressive playoff berth.
It wasn’t just the team’s achievements that made headlines, Lawrence’s individual transformation stands out as one of the primary storylines of the 2022 season.