Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Upson-Lee's Walker goes No. 1 (Falcons, full first-day draft coverage)

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Upson-Lee's Walker goes No. 1 (Falcons, full first-day draft coverage)

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

 

          Travon Walker sat between his parents, picked up the phone, got the news, and anybody on same floor the Omni at the Battery north of Atlanta knew.

          A former Upson-Lee Knight and Georgia Bulldog was the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The first round. Come back in the morning for complete coverage

1 Travon Walker Georgia DE, Jacksonville
2 Aidan Hutchinson Michigan DE, Detroit
3 Derek Stingley Jr. LSU CB, Houston
4 Ahmad Gardner Cincinnati CB, Cincinnati
5 Kayvon Thibodeaux Oregon DE, NY Giants
6 Ikem Ekwonu NC State OT, Carolina
7 Evan Neal Alabama OT, NY Giants
8 Drake London USC WR, Atlanta
9 Charles Cross Mississippi State OT, Seattle
10 Garrett Wilson Ohio State WR, NY Jets
11 Chris Olave Ohio State WR, New Orleans
12 Jameson Williams Alabama WR, Detroit
13 Jordan Davis Georgia DT, DE, Philadelphia
14 Kyle Hamilton Notre Dame S, Baltimore
15 Kenyon Green Texas A&M OG , Houston
16 Jahan Dotson Penn State WR, Washington
17 Zion Johnson Boston College OG, LA Chargers
18 Treylon Burks, Arkansas, WR, Tennessee
19. Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa, OT, New Orleans
20. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh, QB, Pittsburgh
21. Trent McDuffie, Washington CB, Kansas City
22. Quay Walker, Georgia LB, Green Bay
23. Kaiir Elam, Florida CB, Buffalo
24. Tyler Smith, Tula OT, Dallas
25. Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa C, Baltimore
26. Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State DE, NY Jets
27. Devin Lloyd, Utah LB, Jacksonville
28. Devonte Wyatt, Georgia DT, Green Bay
29. Cole Strange, Chattanooga G, New England
30. George Karlaftis, Purdue edge, Kansas City
31. Daxton Hill, Michigan S, Cincinnati
32. Lewis Cene, Georgia S, Minnesota

          Phones pointed at the couch, and Walker hugged his dad and then his mom.

          “I love you. … Don’t cry. I love you. Love you.”

          He was picked by Jacksonville, which had the No. 1 pick for the second year in a row.

          Another Central Georgia grad who stood out at Georgia will be waiting for him. Central grad Tony Gilbert is the Jaguars’ inside linebackers coach, though Walker will be working for Brentson Buckner, a Clemson grad from Carver-Columbus.

          The Jags have ex-Bulldogs Tyson Campbell and Godwin on the roster, as well as Peach Staters Nathan Cotrell (Georgia Tech) and Tyrell Adams (West Georgia).

          Jacksonville was the longtime NFL home of former Northside standout Abry Jones, who was an undrafted free agent in 2013 and played with the Jags until 2020, moving to Tennessee and retiring within a month in June of 2021.

          From Georgia Sports Information:

          “Walker is the fifth Georgia football player to be selected first overall in the NFL Draft and the first since Matthew Stafford was picked first by the Detroit Lions in 2009. With the pick, Georgia ties Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and USC for the most first-overall picks by one institution at five. It is also the earliest selection for a Georgia defensive player in the Common Draft Era (1967-present), besting the No. 6 picks previously used on Richard Seymour (2001) and Johnathan Sullivan (2003).

          “Walker is the 16th defensive lineman to be selected first in the draft, the third-most of any position behind quarterback and running back in the event’s 87-year history. He is also the third defensive lineman to go first in the past decade, joining fellow SEC products Jadeveon Clowney (Houston Texans, 2014) and Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns, 2017). Additionally, he is the fifth Bulldog to be chosen by Jacksonville, following former teammate Tyson Campbell, who was selected 33rd overall last year.

          “The Thomaston native started at defensive tackle in all 15 games last season for the Bulldogs, tallying 37 total tackles, six sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and a team-high 36 quarterback hurries. Walker closed out his Georgia tenure with a career-best seven pressures in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama. In 2019, he was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team, helping Georgia clinch the SEC East title at Auburn on a fourth-down sack of Bo Nix.”


Jacksonville media talks with Walker
Players were watching; the Dogs’ draft day
Walker was in car wreck recently in Athens 
Jags take ‘athletic freak’

          "(GM Trent) Baalke and (head coach Doug) Pederson see a more versatile player in Walker, who logged snaps at defensive end, defensive tackle and outside linebacker in Georgia’s vaunted defense last fall. His highlights include more than sacks; he stops the run, tackles speedy receivers in the open field and tips passes that lead to interceptions.

Jacksonville kept quiet until the pick
‘Looks the part’
Naturally, some naysayers
Walker adjusted for the team, paid dividends