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Travon Walker goes No. 1: NFL, Georgia fans and media react to start of NFL Draft
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Frank Sinkwich in 1943. Charley Trippi in 1945. Harry Babcock in 1953. Matthew Stafford in 2009. And now Travon Walker.
Georgia’s star defensive end, part of a unit that lifted the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980, was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars 1st overall in the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday. He becomes the 5th Georgia Bulldogs player to be taken atop the draft.
It was far from new territory for the Jags as they held the top overall pick in 2021, selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. And the Cartersville, Ga. native threw for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions as a rookie.
This time around, Jacksonville, with Doug Pederson in his 1st season as head coach, has turned to another Peach State product as the pride of Thomaston hopes to settle in and establish himself as a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
Here’s the reaction from social media as Walker had his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell:
Aidan Hutchinson seeing Travon Walker go No. 1 overall pic.twitter.com/ARNL5SLXkZ
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 29, 2022
Dawgnation ! ??
The #1 team in college football , just produced the #1 draft pick in the NFL.
GO BE GREAT Travon Walker.??
Go Dawgs!
I’m shedding real tears right now!#GoDawgs
— ? LEE Ring (@HBTFD1) April 29, 2022
They did it! Travon Walker to the Jags!
— Dan Mathews (@DANMATHEWSHOU) April 29, 2022
The Jags saw what UGA did to Michigan and knew they had to take Travon Walker over Aiden Hutchinson ??
— JAiHAWKFLY℠ (@JAiHAWKFLY) April 29, 2022
Travon Walker is the greatest Walker in UGA history, this does not need to be fact-checked
GO DAWGS
— Jack Duffey (@jackduffey) April 29, 2022
Wow! Travon Walker! What a story! Number one pick!
— RG| YoMoses?FanExpoPhilly (@YoMosestv) April 29, 2022
Congrats @44Ytw going 1/1 in @NFLDraft#GoDawgs
— Christopher Lakos (@BTweetDaHedges) April 29, 2022
Travon Walker is one of the biggest #NFLDraft movers of all time… guys move up from the start of the season to the draft but very rare for a player to gain this much traction after the season had ended! #Jaguars #NFL #football
— ChopShopSports (@ChopShopSports1) April 29, 2022
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
