Jaguars Daily: First look at No. 1 draft pick Travon Walker’s fit with team

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Happy Monday, everyone! The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the middle of OTAs so we’ve got news about rookies, position group previews, and more!

Here’s all the Jacksonville Jaguars news that’s fit to print, or find from around the Internet.

First look at No. 1 pick Travon Walker’s fit with Jaguars

The biggest challenge for NFL evaluators is determining whether a prospect is an ideal fit for the team’s scheme. For a media scout, the lack of information and insight from each organization can make it difficult to play the mock draft game when attempting to match top prospects with pro franchises.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the surprising rise of Travon Walker to No. 1 overall created quite a stir in media circles, with many observers obsessing over the Georgia product’s sack production instead of focusing on his intriguing traits as a super-sized defensive playmaker with positional flexibility.

Click here to read more from NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks about the highly touted prospect who’s making waves in Duval.

Jacksonville players to watch ahead of OTA No. 7

Organized team activities are winding down for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Soon, mandatory minicamp will be kicking off and the Jaguars will be in another key stage of the offseason.

But first comes Monday. On Monday, the Jaguars will once again hit the practice field in hopes of sharpening their skills and taking plays from the classroom to the field under new head coach Doug Pederson.

So, which Jaguars are worth keeping a close eye on during Monday’s practice and why? John Shipley at Jaguar Report breaks it all down here.

4 Jaguars players who could get bumped down the depth chart

The Jaguars have a few OTA practices left before they take a rest and recharge batteries for training camp. During this period of time, there will be several players either competing for roster spots or trying to hold onto the jobs they had last season.

Several training camp battles will take place in the upcoming weeks, and these four Jaguars players could get bumped down the depth chart.

Jaguars look much improved on the defensive side of the ball

The Jaguars ranked 20th in the NFL in total defense (353.1 yards per game allowed), 17th against the pass (227.9 yards allowed per game), 24th against the run (125.1 yards allowed per game), and 28th in points allowed per game (26.9) last season.

Additionally, the Jaguars ranked 25th in the league in third-down defense (about 43 percent conversions allowed) and 30th in fourth-down defense (66.7 percent conversions allowed). Jacksonville also could not produce turnovers, as the Jaguars ranked dead last in the NFL with just nine takeaways (seven interceptions and two fumble recoveries).

Suffice to say, it wasn’t good.

With all of this in mind, the Jaguars have shown a clear plan to improve the defense this offseason. Newly-hired head coach Doug Pederson brought in Mike Caldwell from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to run the defense, and Pederson and Caldwell have greatly improved the personnel on that side of the ball — at least on paper.