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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is hit by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker during their wild-card playoff game on Jan. 14 in Jacksonville. (CHRIS CARLSON/AP File)
JACKSONVILLE — Travon Walker heard the whispers during his rookie year: He’s a project. He's a bust. He's an interior defensive lineman, not an edge rusher. He’s hardly the answer for the Jacksonville Jaguars. And he’s certainly not Aidan Hutchinson.
He insists none has bothered him. Nonetheless, he used them as motivation.
Now, Walker is hellbent on proving he was worthy of the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He’s so confident that he’ll end up being the best of the class that he’s openly talking about a gold jacket — the one reserved for Pro Football Hall of Famers.
It doesn’t sound like hyperbole, either. Walker and the Jaguars believe the former Georgia standout has made huge strides since last season and will be a near-impossible-to-block defender in 2023.
“You can see the growth,” defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said. “Last year was a learning year for him. He learned how to pass rush. Now he’s to the point where he understands what he likes to do.
“I call it his superpower and I tell him all the time, ‘Use your superpower.’ He’s working on doing that. ... We’re excited for him this year.”
The 6-foot-5, 272-pound outside linebacker from Georgia looks superhuman at times. Blessed with a rare combination of size, strength and speed, Walker had a game-changing interception in his NFL debut and notched three quarterback hits in two postseason games.
But he was mostly inconsistent in between. Walker finished with just 3 1/2 sacks in 15 regular-season games, falling well short of top-pick expectations.
He was too predictable at times, relying on power moves instead of mixing up his attacks. He was stout against the run, notching 49 tackles, and made several highlight-reel plays. But the all-important sacks rarely materialized. Making it worse: the guy many thought Jacksonville would draft at No. 1, Hutchinson, managed 9 1/2 sacks for Detroit.
Given Jacksonville’s recent track record of first-round picks — the list includes C.J. Henderson (2020), Taven Bryan (2018), Blake Bortles (2014), Justin Blackmon (2012) and Blaine Gabbert (2011) — no one would be surprised if they chose the wrong guy again.
But the Jaguars are confident Walker will eventually be a better all-around defender — and more consistent getting to quarterbacks — than anyone drafted in 2022.
“My expectation for Travon is to dominate,” teammate and fellow edge rusher Josh Allen said. “It’s what he expects of himself. … I expect him to dominate and to really show up and show out from the beginning to the end.”
Walker will share the spotlight and the field with Hutchinson this week as the Lions host the Jaguars for two days of joint practices leading into an exhibition game Saturday night. Walker tends to sidestep any comparisons between the two, preferring to focus on his game and his progress.
“It’s a growth from my mentality last year,” Walker said. “I like to say I’ve always had a dog mentality. It’s just the little things that I had to learn from last year being a rookie. Just coming into the league, understanding a lot of different scheme things, mental things, how to switch up my game within the game and how to elevate as a player.
“It’s still the same mentality; it’s just time to take it to a new level.”
Walker has his sights set on the franchise single-season sack record of 14 1/2 set by Calais Campbell in 2017. It might seem like a lofty goal considering how his rookie year unfolded, but the Jaguars view it as a modest target for someone with his gifts. It also would be a solid step for a player already thinking about Canton.
“My main accolade is the gold jacket,” Walker said. “I feel like if I get the gold jacket, the Super Bowl, all of that’ll come with that.”
Improving the team’s pass rush — after 35 sacks in 2022 — was a main offseason talking point in Jacksonville, where general manager Trent Baalke used his first three draft picks on the offensive side of the ball. Baalke and coach Doug Pederson are counting on Walker, Allen and 2020 first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson picking up their games.
The Jaguars visited with 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney on Sunday, a meeting Pederson called “good.” Even if Clowney did join Jacksonville, he would be a backup behind Allen and Walker.
Simply put, the Jaguars are hesitant to do anything to disrupt Walker's trajectory — a path everyone around him vows will include fewer whispers and more shoutouts this season.
“It’s a lot easier now,” Walker said. “Basically, I’m just taking it to a new level, like algebra to pre-calculus.”