The Jacksonville Jaguars’ rookie class of 2022 took the field for the team for the first time on Friday for the start of rookie minicamp. Of course, the player who had the most eyes on him was No. 1 pick, Travon Walker, who is going to be a key part of the defense.
A big question heading into his NFL career was the position he would play. In Walker’s first press conference he mentioned playing from the outside linebacker spot, which is where he spent his first day of rookie camp at.
“So far, I’m at outside linebacker with [Outside Linebackers Coach] Coach [Bill] Shuey, but who knows what the future holds,” Walker said when asked about the position he could play in the present and future. “The more comfortable I get with the defense, you never know.”
One thing that was stressed in his first press conference by Walker and coach Doug Pederson was that they wanted to get him comfortable with one position first, then potentially progress to other positions down the road. That would be a smart decision for the Jags, as letting him learn the outside linebacker role first would allow him to focus on the biggest issue for the defense, which is sacking the quarterback.
Playing the outside linebacker position isn’t new to Walker, though, as he did it at times at Georgia. However, he spent more time as a defensive lineman due to the team being extremely talented. But now in the NFL, the Jags want to give him the luxury of not putting too much on his plate at the moment.
“I kind of always dibbled and dabbled in the outside linebacker world,” Walker said when asked about his familiarity with the position. “But just strictly working on outside linebacker things in practice I feel like I’m truly getting more comfortable with the position, learn a lot more techniques coming from that position and not have to learn so many different other positions.”
Currently, the Jags are just in the teaching stages of things with their rookies, which means the more important stages will come down the road when they join the veterans. Still, many observed Walker closely on his first day and were impressed with his size, length, and power, all of which were seen on film, too.
Spotted at practice 👀@44Ytw | @Dream_Finders pic.twitter.com/4eWg1P87DQ
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) May 13, 2022
Travon Walker working on his drop in coverage. pic.twitter.com/a048Qh4xmE
— Hays Carlyon (@HaysCarlyon) May 13, 2022
With two more days of minicamp left, it will be interesting to see what the Jags do with Walker to help him make the transition to the NFL. However, we should be able to learn even more about him down the road when he’s on the field with the veterans.