The Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions held the first two picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Faced with a decision pitting potential and ceiling vs. a more stable floor mixed with upside, they chose Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker over Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions, of course, wasted no time to turn in their card with Hutchinson's name on it.
Now into their third NFL seasons, the careers of Hutchinson and Walker have been on different trajectories. That being said, Walker had 10 sacks last season (five over the last four games) and after the best game of his career in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts (three sacks, seven quarterback pressures) he has five sacks this season.
Jacksonville picked up their first win of the season against the Colts, but it's easy to paint them as a potential seller between now and the Nov. 5 trade deadline. How aggressive that selling might be is unclear, but it's possible few stones go unturned and unexpected players could be available if the price is right.
Trade proposal has Lions fleece Jaguars for Travon Walker
Within the premise of "the dream trade deadline", ESPN's Ben Solak had the following trade proposal that has the Lions landing Walker.
Lions get: Edge Travon Walker
Jaguars get: 2025 fourth-round selection, 2026 fourth-round selection
"The Jaguars got their first win of the season Sunday and may still be subtracting when the trade deadline comes. Walker, the first overall pick in 2022, has had two splashy games this season and three complete blanks otherwise. He still hasn't quite figured it out with the Jaguars, but he has done enough (five sacks this season) to still fetch a solid pick or two in return."
"I know how the Lions would use him: a big base end mashing against the run and pushing the pocket opposite Aidan Hutchinson (who incidentally was taken one selection after Walker in that '22 draft). That was the plan for Marcus Davenport, who was lost for the season with a torn triceps in Week 3. And John Cominsky, who was supposed to be a key rotational player, is also out for the year(knee). The Lions are worryingly thin at defensive end."
Walker nearly made our list of edge rushers the Lions could aggressively trade for to replace Marcus Davenport, but it was hard to rationalize the thought from Jacksonville's end. It's fair to say, if they'd even be willing to trade Walker, the Jaguars would want (and could get) more than two four-round picks for him.
But if it could be done, even with an offer a little better than Solak's proposal, the Lions would instantly have the makings of one of the top edge rusher duos in the league until further notice. And even with a very remote chance it happens, that alone makes the idea of acquiring Walker interesting.
