JAGUARS OWNER SHAD KHAN, HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON, GENERAL MANAGER TRENT BAALKE AND OLB TRAVON WALKER
OLB TRAVON WALKER INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022
DOUG PEDERSON: (Opening statement) “We’re excited obviously to introduce Travon [Walker] to you guys and to the Jacksonville nation. We want to just extend a Jacksonville welcome to his mom and dad, Stead and Lasonia here and [we’re] just excited that they’re here as well to share in Travon’s moment.
You guys know, and you heard from [General Manager] Trent [Baalke] and I last night, this is obviously a process that we went through and [it was] a very collaborative process to get to this decision. Obviously, we felt that with Travon as somebody that can really come in and help and make an impact right away and that’s why we chose him obviously number one overall. [He’s a] very talented individual, I think more than that when you get to know him as a person, as a human being off the field as well. With that,
we’ll open it up for questions.”
SHAD KHAN: (On the process of learning about OLB Travon Walker as a person and a player) “I think I met Travon [Walker] at the combine. Then obviously adding on to what [Head Coach] Doug [Pederson] was talking about, I think Doug, [General Manager] Trent [Baalke], their staff, obviously coaches, scouts, they’ve spent a lot of time really redeveloping our process full of not only collaboration but transparency. The net result is this is the direction we’re going to be going.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On when he knew he was the overall number one pick and his pass rushing abilities while at Georgia) “To answer your first question, I didn’t really know until right before the draft just like everybody else, but I had a pretty good idea. Just to all the people that say that I can’t pass rush or do whatever I didn’t, wasn’t as productive at Georgia, I’ve never really just played one position consistently, so I feel like I’ll be able to grow as a player once I just focus on one main position.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On what position he sees himself playing versus what he played at Georgia) “I see myself playing on the edge, five technique, anything on the outside on the edge. 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.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On the short drive from his home in Georgia to Jacksonville) “[It’s a] four-hour drive. It really means a lot to me because I know my mom, she doesn’t like getting on planes, flying, so she’ll be able to make that drive really easy. And I know how she is, she always wants to be on to me so now I’m a momma’s boy.”
SHAD KHAN: (On collaborating on last night’s number one pick) “I think it’s taken obviously a lot of time to be able to come up with that and I think the results speak for themselves. But I think we were all unanimous that this is absolutely the right thing for our team, for us, and Travon [Walker] was going to be our number one pick.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On hearing from his UGA teammates last night) “I definitely have heard from a couple of them. A couple of them even after they got drafted last night they came to where I was as well. It really meant a lot to me to just be around those guys, even the ones that got drafted.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On hearing from his new Jaguar teammates) “I’d have to say I’m pretty close with Trevor Lawrence. I’ve known him ever since high school, so I feel like he’ll be somebody who takes me under his wing. I came on my top-30 visit, he was working out, he ran up to me, so I just feel like we already have that bond. I have Tyson Campbell here as well to help me.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On spending last night at home with family versus in Vegas) “I’m just a family person. Don’t get me wrong, being in Vegas it would’ve been a great experience. But for me, the type of person I am, I really don’t care for all the cameras and all the things of that nature. I just love being around my family.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On how his upbringing has carried over to his career and success on the field) “I’d say just being true to myself. I know how I was raised. I know the type of parents that I have so just the way that they raised me, it carried over to on the field as well just being disciplined. I’ve always been a hard worker. My dad always pushed me. I feel like I work hard, got that from him, mom, they all stayed on me, discipline, so I had no other choice.”
DOUG PEDERSON: (On how he and Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell see OLB Travon Walker fitting in with the defense) “Again, I’m not going to speak for Mike [Caldwell], obviously, but I think we share the same thoughts here. Number one, we want to get Travon in here in a couple of weeks, actually, for our Rookie Mini Camp—our developmental program with the rookies—and really get them started with the
philosophy and with the terminology on defense. As Travon alluded to, put him in one spot and let him grow in one spot. And obviously, there is versatility so as we grow with him and as he understands what we’re doing schematically, we can move him around the defense just a little bit. But it’s just a matter of getting him in here, getting him acclimated, getting him around the teammates and getting him started with the defense. Really solidify him in one spot and let him grow in one spot.”
DOUG PEDERSON: (On what he told Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell about the defensive prospects around the time he began hiring his coaching staff in February) “I just said, ‘Mike, do you want the job?’
and he said, ‘Yes.’ No, for me, being in this league a long time and studying defense, understanding the complexities of defense and really how Jacksonville is built currently, prior to me coming here and knowing the strength of the team was the front. Knowing Mike’s history and who he’s worked under and for, and the places he’s been, it was really a great fit for us to have a guy like Mike come in and just take what we currently have and make it even better. We knew the type of personnel that we had in the 34
structure, but it’s so versatile and for me, when I scheme defense, the 3-4 becomes a little bit of a challenge to go up against, it becomes a little bit harder to run the football, it becomes some protection issues. So, for me, as a head coach, that’s what I want on defense, I want complexity. Complexity but at the same time, it’s simple for the players to learn, if that makes sense. So, I wanted that for our defense and guys that have had success. I mean, he just came off of a world championship in Tampa and he’s seen
it at a high level. He’s worked under some really good coordinators, Todd Bowles, he played for the late Jim Johnson and guys like that. So, for me, it was an easy plug-and-play for Mike to come in and start that process.”
DOUG PEDERSON: (On Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell’s reaction to all of the new pieces he now has on defense) “I mean, it’s exciting. The whole team, the whole staff is excited. That’s the thing, I think that people have to understand is that we’re a cohesive staff. It doesn’t matter if it’s an offensive guy, or a defensive guy that we take. It’s a matter of building the best team possible, right. Adding talent and competition—I’m big about creating competition at every position and we’ve been able to do that now
with Travon and even Devin [Lloyd], last night selecting him. Just adding more pieces to an already good defense, along with the free agents we added. Our current roster is solid, it’s good, it’s something that we’ve been excited as a staff about. That’s the one thing I think, as a head coach, that as we put all these pieces together, again, it’s not offense—I don’t ever preach offense versus defense. It’s all about being a team because we win as a team, we win and lose as a football team. The staff feels the same way, Mike
is excited.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On how he’s handled living up to expectations since he became a top football player) “I’d just have to say, for me, it’s not about living up to the expectations because it’s something that I’ve been doing ever since I was a little kid. I just feel that once I get the opportunity, I just maximize the opportunity that I have and do my best at it. I can’t worry about what everybody else has to say.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On how proud he is about his accomplishments with setting records with University of Georgia Football) “That was special, playing beside all those guys, playing on the field with those guys at the same time. Having 5 guys drafted in the first round, obviously, is something special. You don’t see that too often. Playing around those guys and being around those guys, they are great young men, men who really love the game of football. That’s why I really feel like we won a National Championship last year, because of our connection and that just made everyone else around us better.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On Georgia’s defense setting a record with five players defensive players being drafted in the first round and on his relationships with players in the NFL right now) “Yeah, that was special playing alongside all those guys and being on the field with those guys at the same time. Having five guys drafted in the first round is obviously something special and you don’t see that too often. Playing around those guys and being around those guys, great young men and men who really love the
game of football. That’s why I feel like we won the National Championship last year is because of our connection and that just made everyone else around us better. Some players I’ve been talking to in the league that have been telling me things are Malik Herring, Dexter Lawrence, Tae Crowder. I know a pretty good bit of people in the league, so it’s not just those three there are more.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On the best advice he received from a current NFL player) “They just tell me to be myself. They tell me to stay humble like I’ve always been and they know I’m a hard worker. I’m a person whose going to give it my all. They just tell me to be who I always have been.”
TRENT BAALKE: (On why Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manger Trent Baalke think the first five players off the board were defensive players and why that’s a need in the NFL) “It’s hard to speak for other teams what their thoughts are. I think you look at the draft and everybody looks at needs and looks at talent. Again, I don’t think I can speak for every team, but I know what I look at and where we had guys valued. We had some offensive players up there as well. I think you have to look at the team and what their needs are and where you have players valued. Defensive players are a premium and you have to be able to stop these explosive offenses now and that’s not getting any easier with the way they’re spreading you out and attacking you horizontally. When you have a chance to pick a marquee players, especially a pressure player or a cover corner I think that all factors into it.”
TRENT BAALKE: (On what General Manager Trent Baalke looks for when watching film to show that Travon Walker is exactly what the team needs) “You take a deep dive into what they can do and the thing that was mentioned yesterday was production and production is a lot of things, it’s not just one metric. You look at what they do in the positions they were placed in and how that factors into the scheme that we play and he is just a really good fit for our scheme. Obviously, the versatility is something we mentioned but getting him in a situation where he is doing one or two things in terms of technique’s and letting him grow from there, that’s the vision we have. We’re pretty confident after all the work that he did is that he is going to grow and he is going to grow quickly in the scheme that we have.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On Travon’s level of excitement with the role the Jaguars have visioned for him) “It’s very exciting because I’ve always moved around ever since I was in high school and played middle linebacker in high school. I’ve never just played one position so when people say I don’t have a lot of production, but once I do just get to train for one position then that will come on it’s own.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On Travon ever playing against Trevor Lawrence in high school and if he was a legend in the Georgia area) “No [never played against him]. Trevor was definitely a legend in the whole state of Georgia and had all the records. He was well known and I basically got to know him on visits.”
TRAVON WALKER: On if he has talked to CB Tyson Campbell today) “I talked to Tyson last night, you know Tyson Campbell is always going to keep a big smile on his face. That was the first thing I had seen from him when he called me last night and he seemed very happy.”
TRAVON WALKER: (On if Travon met with Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell and DL Coach Brentson Buckner) “I did meet with them and every meeting I had when I was on my top 30, I felt like all of them went good, so it’s not just those two meetings but all the meetings I had went well.”
TRENT BAALKE: (On how Shad Khan feels at the conclusion of round one of the 2022 NFL Draft) “I am feeling great. I think Doug, Trent and the collaboration they have had has really been exemplary.”
TRENT BAALKE: (On the expected physicality from the AFC South and how that affects the expectations for the first-round picks) This isn’t one person it’s collaboration. When I look at this division you have to play physical and you have to win the line of scrimmage and when I look at these two guys, they have the ability to help us do that. When you look at this division and moving forward you need guys who can do different things. You only have 53 players on a roster and 26 or 27 of them are defensive players so
the more they can do, the more ways they can help each other, the more interchangeable they can become, then the more assets you really have, and that’s how we look at it.”
