The No. 1 overall pick is signing the dotted line.
Travon Walker and the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms on a rookie contract worth $37.4 million, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday, per sources. Walker is expected to sign on Thursday, per Garafolo.
Rapoport adds that Walker will receive a $24.4 million signing bonus. Like all first-round contracts, Walker's deal is for four years with a fifth-year team option.
Walker's rise as an NFL prospect coincided with the Georgia Bulldogs' 2021 national championship run. The 21-year-old defensive end highlighted a Bulldogs defense that featured five first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, which set an NFL record. Georgia went to set another record in the draft by producing a grand total of 15 picks.
Walker started all 15 games for the Bulldogs in 2021, producing six sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two passes defensed and 33 total tackles. Though his effectiveness didn't always show up on the box score, the 6-foot-5, 272-pound disruptor was a constant headache for opposing offensive lines and he showed an ability to play seemingly anywhere on the defensive line.
In Jacksonville, Walker will team up with star pass rusher Josh Allen on defense. The Jaguars enter a transformative season in 2022 with new head coach and former Super Bowl champion Doug Pederson, who hired veteran defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell.
"I see myself playing on the edge, five technique, anything on the outside on the edge," Walker said at his introductory press conference. "At Georgia, I was just, like you said, I always told my coaches I'd do anything to get on the field so therefore, I played everything from a zero nose all the way out to a nine, wide, six technique."
Walker is the second consecutive No. 1 overall pick the Jaguars have inked under contract after Trevor Lawrence in 2021, and hopefully the last for a franchise that hasn't eclipsed six wins in the past four seasons.
