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The Jacksonville Jaguars ended all speculation on Thursday night when they picked defensive lineman Travon Walker from Georgia with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
It’s the second year in a row the Jaguars have made the first selection in the draft. The team picked quarterback Trevor Lawrence last year.
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Travon Walker #44 of the Georgia Bulldogs leaves the field at the conclusion of the game against the Missouri Tigers at Sanford Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Athens, Georgia.
(Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Walker was a standout defensive lineman for Georgia, ending his career with a national championship before he declared for the draft. In 13 games in 2021, he had 33 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. He started to move up draft boards as the draft got closer and it turned out Jacksonville was very high on him.
Walker will line up near linebacker Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson as well as Malcolm Brown, Foley Fatukasi and Roy Robertston-Harris. He’s expected to make a tremendous impact.
Aidan Hutchinson, who was another favorite to be the No. 1 pick for the Jaguars, went No. 2 to the Detroit Lions. He was a standout at Michigan.
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Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Michigan Wolverines is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois.
(Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Hutchinson led the Big Ten Conference with 14 sacks. He also had 62 total tackles and was third in the conference with 17 tackles for a loss.
Michigan finished 12-2 overall and made the College Football Playoff for the first time.
The Houston Texans had the No. 3 pick and selected cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. out of LSU. Stingley was rated as one of the best defensive backs in the draft. He only played in three games for the Tigers in 2021 and had eight tackles, including 3.5 tackles for a loss.
Stingley had six interceptions during his freshman year and had been a highly touted prospect since then.
LSU defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. answers questions from the media during the NFL Scouting Combine on March 5, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN.
(Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The NFL Draft is in Las Vegas for the first time.