The Jacksonville Jaguars are pleased with pass rusher Travon Walker. Heck, the new regime didn't hesitate to pick up his fifth-year option, and head coach Liam Coen has nothing but praise for him. However, the Jags also had the chance to take Aidan Hutchinson first overall, and he's been the better player of the two thus far.
Couple that with the fact that the Detroit Lions had to institute a rule because of how dominant the former Michigan Wolverine has been in training camp, and it's not difficult to think that Jacksonville might regret passing on him.
The Lions have implemented the Hutch Rule to slow down Aidan Hutchinson
After posting a combined 21 sacks in his first two seasons, Hutchinson was putting together a strong case to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 before he broke his tibia and fibula. However, he's back at full strength and has been so dominant that the Detroit Lions came up with a role to lessen his impact.
The Lions implement the Hutch rule, which allows plays to continue even if the Plymouth, Michigan native has successfully stopped it.
Detroit defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard witnessed first-hand Hutchinson wreak havoc when he was the linebackers coach and argues that he's an even better player than he was in 2024, if that's possible.
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The Jaguars are enthused about Travon Walker, but Aidan Hutchinson is a game-changer
Like it or not, Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson will be forever linked because they were drafted back-to-back, and the Jags had the opportunity to take either one. Granted, if they hadn't chosen Walker, the Lions would've selected him. This is a way to say that the former Georgia Bulldog is no slouch, but Hutchinson has proven to be more dominant. The fact that he's already back from a pair of serious injuries is an impressive feat in itself.
The good news is that Travon Walker is also developing into a good player in his own right. After a quiet rookie campaign, he's posted 10 sacks in back-to-back seasons. After getting back to his natural weight and with Liam Coen at the helm, he's expected to break out in 2025 and become closer to the player the Jags envisioned when they selected him first overall.
Sure, Aidan Hutchinson has had the better career so far, but the Jaguars can complain about Travon Walker ahead of the 2025 season.
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