2022 NFL Draft: Senior analyst believes Jacksonville Jaguars will pull off a shocker by not drafting Aidan Hutchinson with 1st overall pick
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended up with the worst record in the 2021 season, which rewarded them with the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
This marks the second consecutive NFL Draft where the Jaguars hold the first pick and one NFL analyst believes the team will not pick the player they are favored to draft - Aidan Hutchinson.
Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager has a new segment titled, 'The Draft Whisperer'. Schrager addressed some of the rumors around the NFL Draft that are rumbling in the coaches' meetings and front offices around the league.
One of those rumors pertains to Jaguars' general manager Trent Baalke and who he's taking in the first round.
"Everyone's inking Aidan Hutchinson to the @Jaguars. Around the NFL, there's talk about GM Trent Baalke, and his draft history with SF. Year after year, the 49ers took players with incredible physical traits over the top collegiate performers. That's Travon Walker." -- @PSchrags https://t.co/WbxFkH6W9B
Baalke has a tendency to draft "an athletic specieman over sure-thing prospects" and they usually pan out in his favor. He took Trevor Lawrence last season, who was a sure-thing prospect, but Baalke went on quite a streak with the 49ers.
He drafted Aldon Smith over JJ Watt, Cam Jordan, Cam Heyward, and Justin Houston. Smith went on to have the most sacks in two seasons in NFL history with 33.5. Arik Armstead was another prospect projected outside of the top-ten picks who Baalke took within the top-ten.
Aiden Hutchinson is being labeled as a sure-thing in the 2022 NFL Draft and has the best odds to be the No. 1 pick. But Schrager believes Baalke will return to his old ways in 2022 and go for the best athlete available.
It is believed to be Travon Walker, the linebacker from Georgia. He's very similar to Dallas Cowboys' linebacker Micah Parsons, just without the production in college.
Travon Walker's testing numbers were so absurd that he could pass for a moderately athletic CB
He's 272 pounds https://t.co/159hc12Vnm
Walker is projected to be a good starting player in the NFL within two years, but he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate as the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash with a 35.5 vertical and 123 broad jump. Walker is a large bodied run-stopper who can wreck havoc once he gets behind the offensive line.
Who could the Jaguars realistically draft with the #1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Aiden Hutchinson is the more obvious choice as the first pick in the NFL Draft and Travon Walker is the best freak-athlete on the board, according to Schrager.
There is at least one other prospect that makes sense for the Jaguars at #1. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis from Georgia has shown himself to be quite the athlete himself.
Like how does Jordan Davis chase down this RB? https://t.co/Fq0smzOCya
Davis is projected to be "boom or bust" despite running a 4.78 40-yard dash while being 341 pounds. Many have compared him to Haloti Ngata and Davis will likely see many double-teams when on the field. If Baalke wants a pure athlete, Davis will surely be on his radar at the end of the month.