Travon Walker is climbing and climbing in the mock drafts. The Georgia Bulldogs pass rusher could become the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Yet his full potential has yet to be ignited.

Munich – When Travon Walker steps on the gas, it’s hard to stop him. Then he throws an offensive lineman out of the way like a sack of rice. Then he pounces on quarterbacks like he’s a tiger. Then he buries running backs underneath him without even breaking a sweat.

The highlight plays give the impression of an unstoppable pass rusher without equal. His talent has not gone unnoticed, at least since a rock-strong Combine performance. According to reports, he could be selected as one of the first players in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, for example, have already put out feelers.

“He’s a freak of nature. Athleticism like that at his size and weight is rare. I think it will be a few years before I get to coach someone like that again,” praised his former head coach with the Georgia Bulldogs, Kirby Smart.

Variable Pass Rusher

Smart made good use of his unique athletic assets. He had Walker lined up from nose tackle to edge rusher, dropping into coverage. The 21-year-old showed the power to hold his own against centres and guards in run defence, while having the athleticism to make tackles dangerous on the outside.

His stat sheet reads accordingly. He collected 33 tackles, seven of them for loss of space, six sacks and nine quarterback hits. He also thwarted two pass attempts. In run defense, offensive linemen did not often succeed in moving him off the spot.

A pretty good resume, and yet Walker is nowhere near his potential.

Technique expandable

Because the pass rusher doesn’t yet have a wide bag of tricks in pass-rush moves. He wins his duels almost exclusively through his strength; finesse is largely lacking. Depending on which offensive linemen he was matched up against, that made him too one-dimensional. Then he dipped in the game. Then he was slowed down.

His highlight plays are usually not calculated pass rushes, but rather a product of his incredible power and athleticism. Which isn’t a bad thing, because why should he give it up when it works?

In the NFL, the place where all players are bigger, stronger, faster, this plan could become a ground swell. Walker is aware that he is not yet in the home stretch of his potential. “I always want to work on myself, and I’m already looking forward to picking up tricks from the veterans and the coaches (in the NFL) and adding them to my game,” he said in an interview with the Draft Network website. “I’m looking forward to working on my game,” Walker said.

Star potential

If Walker continues to hone his technique and gets more consistency in his game, there’s nothing standing in the way of star status. He already meets the athletic requirements.

“I might not have had a lot of sacks or anything, but I have an extreme amount of potential. I’m looking forward to the new capital and the new challenges, he said on the “Draft Network”.

For the potential top-5 pick, it’s now a case of releasing the handbrake in this new chapter and putting the horsepower on the road.