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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). This game also gave football fans their first look at No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker in a professional setting.
Walker picked up his first sack for the Jaguars, pushing his way into the backfield and then bringing the Raiders’ Jarrett Stidham to the ground when he stepped up in the pocket to avoid edge pressure.
“It was definitely an exciting feeling,” Walker said of getting the takedown, per ESPN.com. “It was my first [sack] but, like, there will be many more to come.”
Walker’s new coach, Doug Pederson, seemed impressed with the game and how Walker played overall on the night.
“I thought he did some really good things,” Pederson said. “There were some early good, quick passes in there. 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 drew a roughing the passer penalty when he put his hand on Stidham’s neck and face on another pass rush. It was a sign that Walker can make it to the quarterback with his elite athleticism and traits, but also still has some work to do when it comes to improving his game.
“There are timing issues when you [rush] quarterbacks and quarterback hits and when you can hit quarterbacks and all that stuff, and that’s just going to come from watching it, learning from it,” Pederson said. “You never try to slow down his athleticism and strength like that but he’s going to learn from it and do better.”
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