Yury Travon Walker (; born December 18, 2000) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

, winning the 2022 National Championship prior to being selected first overall by the Jaguars in the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

Early life

Walker was born on December 18, 2000, in

Thomaston, Georgia Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is incl ...

, and attended Upson-Lee High School. He was selected to the 2019

All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985. In 1986, the National Football Foundatio ...

. He committed to play

for the

at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

College career

Walker played in 12 games and had 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks as a freshman for the Bulldogs in 2019. As a sophomore in 2020, he played in nine games with 13 tackles, one sack and one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

. 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 declared for the

following the season.

College statistics

Professional career

Walker was selected first overall by the

in the

. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $37.4 million fully guaranteed, on May 12, 2022. In his debut, Walker recorded a sack and interception in a 28–22 loss against the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

. In his rookie season, he started in 14 of the 15 games he appeared in. He finished with 3.5 sacks, 49 total tackles, one interception, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble. During a Week 5 game against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, he recorded the first fumble recovery of his career. In a 26–0 win over the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

in Week 16, Walker recorded two sacks and six tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Walker finished the 2023 season with 52 tackles, ten sacks, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. On April 7, 2025, the Jaguars picked up the fifth-year option on Walker's contract.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

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Jacksonville Jaguars bioGeorgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Travon 2000 births Living people Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers Georgia Bulldogs football players First overall NFL draft picks People from Thomaston, Georgia Jacksonville Jaguars players