When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars tomorrow at Acrisure Stadium, all eyes will be on EDGE Josh Allen who is off on a tear for the Jags’ defense this season, sitting just behind OLB T.J. Watt with seven sacks on the season. However, Jacksonville has another talented edge rusher opposite of Allen that Tomlin is highlighting in sharpie prior to kickoff, noting that EDGE Travon Walker can be a game wrecker as well if Pittsburgh isn’t prepared to block him up properly on Sunday.
“He quite simply is a bull in the China closet, man,” Tomlin said about Walker on The Mike Tomlin Show which aired on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “He does a lot of damages to offenses and it’s not always reflected in statistics. He’s a butt kicker, you know, and I’d imagine that that’s why they took him over Aiden Hutchinson. Say for example, a couple of years ago, I was at both pro days and I saw both guys, and there’s a style of play there that’s really attractive that might not be reflected in statistics.”
The Jaguars selected Walker first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, taking him over fellow eEDGE Aidan Hutchinson who many believed was the favorite to go #1 overall heading into the pre-draft process. However, traction for Walker picked up after a stellar performance at the NFL Combine, coming in at 6-5, 272 pounds with 35 1/2-inch arms, testing like a freak athlete with a 4.51 40, a 6.89 three-cone, a 4.32 short shuttle, a 35 1/2-inch vert, and a 10’3″ broad.
Walker’s production at the University of Georgia was minimal compared to Hutchinson coming out of Michigan, posting 9.5 sacks in three seasons. However, Walker’s presence far exceeded what he did on the stat sheet for the Dawgs as stated in his pre-draft profile done here at the site, proving to be a dominant run defender thanks to his size, strength, and long arms as well as a menace that creates consistent pressure on the quarterback due to his ability to overwhelm offensive tackles with his length and explosiveness relative to his size.
Jacksonville bet on the traits with Walker rather than going with the production in Hutchinson, and so far, Hutchinson has been the more productive player, posting 9.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and three INTs as a rookie compared to Walker having 3.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and one INT as a rookie himself. However, as Tomlin stated, Walker’s impact transcends the stat sheet as a physical specimen that take a lot of attention both in the running game and in pass protection, just scratching the surface of what he can become as a pro. Pittsburgh will have to be able to block up both former first round picks in Walker in Allen, relying on LT Dan Moore Jr. and RT Chukwuma Okorafor to keep QB Kenny Pickett clean on Sunday against a potent Jags’ pass rush.
