- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,232,660
- Reaction score
- 59
Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen form one of the more menacing defensive end duos in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Not just for what they do on the field — if you see them together just standing around, they look like they should be competing for the tag team titles in professional wrestling.
Walker, at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds, is listed at the same weight as Myles Garrett, but an inch taller.
After two years of 10-plus sacks in 2023 and 2024, Walker struggled to just 3.5 sacks in 2025 after being hampered by injuries, including wearing a club on his left hand for multiple games.
It didn’t stop the Jaguars from investing in their former No. 1 overall pick with a big contract this offseason.
Here are five things to know about Travon Walker:
5 Things to Know: Why Jaguars CB Montaric Brown is better known as Buster
As a boy in Thomaston, Georgia, Walker had a unique ritual for mowing the lawn: He had to retrieve his hunting onesie-insulated jump suit and his football helmet so he could mow the lawn.
By age 13, this had become his routine — mowing the yard as part of his football training regimen established by his father, Stead, an ex-Marine.
The yard took Walker three hours to mow. Back and forth, he pushed the mower looking like he was in a hazmat suit while enduring the unrelenting heat.
If you’re wondering, water breaks were allowed.
"Everybody used to laugh at me and say I was crazy because I would make him in the beginning before spring camp and football started out there cutting grass," Stead said. "My thing behind that was getting him used to the heat. Climatize with the heat and get used to having the helmet on. If you keep the helmet on, you'll be all right. You're hot, and you're good."
The grass-cutting routine continued through high school, even after he had emerged as a top college prospect.
Coming out of Upson-Lee High School in 2019, Walker was a prized five-star recruit.
According to 247Sports, there were only 34 five-star recruits coming out of high school in 2019.
Among the five-star designees that year were Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, both with the New York Giants, Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans and Nolan Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Smith and Walker both committed to and played for the University of Georgia.
While Walker ended up going No. 1 in the 2022 NFL Draft, Stingley Jr. went No. 3, Thibodeaux went No. 5 and Neal went No. 7. Smith was selected No. 30 in the 2023 draft.
Walker played in 12 games as a freshman, collecting 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2019.
As a sophomore during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, he played in nine games with 13 tackles, one sack and one interception.
Walker started at defensive tackle as a junior and was a part of the team that won the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. He had six sacks and declared for the NFL Draft.
5 Things to Know: Jaguars' Chris Rodriguez Jr. was cut twice by same team before payday
The Jaguars had back-to-back No. 1 draft picks beginning in 2021, when they selected Trevor Lawrence.
The team was a disaster in Lawrence’s rookie season, with head coach Urban Meyer being fired in disgrace before his first year ended as the Jaguars went 3-14.
That landed them the No. 1 pick again in 2022. The Jaguars were torn between two potential picks at the top: Travon Walker or Aidan Hutchinson.
They ultimately chose Walker. Through four years of each players’ career, Hutchinson leads the sack race 43-27.5. Walker leads in combined tackles 200-176.
Travon Walker signed his rookie contract in May 2022 to the tune of four years and $37.4 million. As the No. 1 overall pick, his rookie deal was fully guaranteed, featuring a $24.4 million signing bonus with a standard fifth-year option.
The franchise locked up the talented pass rusher with a four-year, $110 million contract extension ahead of his fifth and final contract season with the franchise.
His pass rushing mate, Hines-Allen, was locked up with a 5-year, $141,250,000 contract extension with the Jaguars in April 2024.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars DE Travon Walker grew up mowing lawn in football helmet
Continue reading...
Not just for what they do on the field — if you see them together just standing around, they look like they should be competing for the tag team titles in professional wrestling.
Walker, at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds, is listed at the same weight as Myles Garrett, but an inch taller.
After two years of 10-plus sacks in 2023 and 2024, Walker struggled to just 3.5 sacks in 2025 after being hampered by injuries, including wearing a club on his left hand for multiple games.
It didn’t stop the Jaguars from investing in their former No. 1 overall pick with a big contract this offseason.
Here are five things to know about Travon Walker:
5 Things to Know: Why Jaguars CB Montaric Brown is better known as Buster
Travon Walker had to mow the lawn under extreme conditions as a kid
As a boy in Thomaston, Georgia, Walker had a unique ritual for mowing the lawn: He had to retrieve his hunting onesie-insulated jump suit and his football helmet so he could mow the lawn.
By age 13, this had become his routine — mowing the yard as part of his football training regimen established by his father, Stead, an ex-Marine.
The yard took Walker three hours to mow. Back and forth, he pushed the mower looking like he was in a hazmat suit while enduring the unrelenting heat.
If you’re wondering, water breaks were allowed.
"Everybody used to laugh at me and say I was crazy because I would make him in the beginning before spring camp and football started out there cutting grass," Stead said. "My thing behind that was getting him used to the heat. Climatize with the heat and get used to having the helmet on. If you keep the helmet on, you'll be all right. You're hot, and you're good."
The grass-cutting routine continued through high school, even after he had emerged as a top college prospect.
Travon Walker was among best high school players in U.S.
Coming out of Upson-Lee High School in 2019, Walker was a prized five-star recruit.
According to 247Sports, there were only 34 five-star recruits coming out of high school in 2019.
Among the five-star designees that year were Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, both with the New York Giants, Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans and Nolan Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles.
You must be registered for see images
Smith and Walker both committed to and played for the University of Georgia.
While Walker ended up going No. 1 in the 2022 NFL Draft, Stingley Jr. went No. 3, Thibodeaux went No. 5 and Neal went No. 7. Smith was selected No. 30 in the 2023 draft.
Travon Walker won a national title in final year at Georgia
Walker played in 12 games as a freshman, collecting 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2019.
As a sophomore during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, he played in nine games with 13 tackles, one sack and one interception.
Walker started at defensive tackle as a junior and was a part of the team that won the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. He had six sacks and declared for the NFL Draft.
5 Things to Know: Jaguars' Chris Rodriguez Jr. was cut twice by same team before payday
Travon Walker was Jaguars’ second No. 1 pick in a row
The Jaguars had back-to-back No. 1 draft picks beginning in 2021, when they selected Trevor Lawrence.
The team was a disaster in Lawrence’s rookie season, with head coach Urban Meyer being fired in disgrace before his first year ended as the Jaguars went 3-14.
You must be registered for see images
That landed them the No. 1 pick again in 2022. The Jaguars were torn between two potential picks at the top: Travon Walker or Aidan Hutchinson.
They ultimately chose Walker. Through four years of each players’ career, Hutchinson leads the sack race 43-27.5. Walker leads in combined tackles 200-176.
Travon Walker got paid during 2026 offseason
Travon Walker signed his rookie contract in May 2022 to the tune of four years and $37.4 million. As the No. 1 overall pick, his rookie deal was fully guaranteed, featuring a $24.4 million signing bonus with a standard fifth-year option.
The franchise locked up the talented pass rusher with a four-year, $110 million contract extension ahead of his fifth and final contract season with the franchise.
His pass rushing mate, Hines-Allen, was locked up with a 5-year, $141,250,000 contract extension with the Jaguars in April 2024.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars DE Travon Walker grew up mowing lawn in football helmet
Continue reading...
