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Jaguars top pick Travon Walker signs fully guaranteed $37.4 million contract
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- Jaguars top pick Travon Walker signs fully guaranteed $37.4 million contract
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Thursday they have signed No. 1 overall pick, edge rusher Travon Walker .
The fully guaranteed four-year contract is valued at $37.4 million and includes a $24.4 million signing bonus.
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By comparison, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, got a rookie contract worth $36.8 million over four years and includes $24.1 million in guaranteed money and the usual fifth-year option.
The Jaguars also signed first-round pick linebacker Devin Lloyd, fifth-round running back Snoop Conner, sixth-round cornerback Gregory Junior and seventh-round cornerback Montaric Brown. Rookie contract values for draft picks in the NFL are slotted based on their selection.
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According to Spotrac, the sports financial website, Lloyd's contract is estimated to be worth $12.9 million that includes a $6.5 million signing bonus and he is eligible for a fifth-year option in 2026. Conner's four-year contract is valued at $3,986,246 and included a fully guaranteed $326,264 signing bonus. Junior's contract is four years, $3,834,272, including a $174,272 signing bonus and Brown's contract is four years, $3,775,980 with a $115,980 signing bonus.
The Jaguars made the draft a priority to fix their defense that had problems stopping the run last season and struggled to get pressure on the quarterback. The Jaguars had the eighth-fewest pressures in the NFL last season with 146, which led to a low 24.2 pressure rate. And Jacksonville's 32 sacks were tied for the sixth-lowest league last season.
But Coach Doug Pederson is expecting an immediate impact from both Walker and Lloyd. Walker played defensive tackle and linebacker at Georgia, but the Jaguars are preparing to keep him at one position, which could be defensive end, to help accelerate his growth.
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Walker's draft stock soared after the NFL Combine, going from a projected mid-round pick to the first-ever defensive player from the University of Georgia to drafted in the first round.
"We want to put Travon in one spot and let him grow," Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. "Obviously, there is versatility so as we grown him and as he understands what we're doing schematically, we can move him around the defense just a little bit. But it's just a matter of getting him in here, getting him acclimated and around teammates and really solidify him in one spot."
Walker was scheduled to participate in the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday that concludes on Saturday. With the Jaguars signing five of their draft picks to contracts, the only two players who remain unsigned are third-round picks center Luke Fortner and linebacker Chad Muma.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars top pick Walker signs four-year, $37.4 million contract
