On Thursday night, the 2022 NFL season officially kicked off, as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders faced off in the Hall of Fame Game (here are our takeaways). The game also gave football fans their first look at the no. 1 overall pick Travon Walker in the pro draft.
Walker picked up his first sack for the Jaguars, pushed his way into the backfield and then brought Raiders’ Jarrett Stidham to the ground as he stepped into the pocket to avoid edge pressure.
“It was definitely an interesting feeling,” Walker said of picking up the takedown. Per ESPN.com. “It was my first. [sack] But, like, there’s more to come.”
Walker’s new coach, Doug Pederson, seemed impressed with the play, and the way Walker played overall on the evening.
“I thought he did some really good things,” Pederson said. “There were some good early, quick pass rushes. He’s very disruptive. He showed his length, his athleticism, his strength. He’s going to be fun to watch all season.”
However, Walker also picked up a roughing the passer penalty when he put his hands in Stidham’s neck and face area on another pass rush. It was a sign that Walker can reach quarterback with his elite athleticism and traits, but he still has some work to do when it comes to improving his game.
“There are timing issues when you [rush] quarterbacks and hitting quarterbacks and when you can target quarterbacks and all that kind of stuff, and it’s just going to come from watching him, learning from him,” Pederson said. “You never know his athleticism. And don’t try to lower the power like that, but he’ll learn from it and improve.”
