Potential No. 1 pick Travon Walker talks Georgia's championship win
The odds are clearly in favor of Travon Walker when it comes to hearing his name called first on Thursday night during the NFL Draft, but even with the potential of a life-changing moment lingering, the former Georgia pass rusher hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
In an appearance on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Walker was asked his collegiate career, specifically what memory he took away from helping the Dawgs break their long title drought.
His answer pointed to the kind of person he is and that teams have fallen for.
“I’ll have to say one of my lasting memories from that game that I can remember right now is one of my teammates, Julian Rochester, breaking down in tears,” Walker said. “Everyone knows he was one of the oldest players on the team, and he’d lost to Bama in the championship a couple of years back.”
For Walker, it was always about much more than himself.
“Just to get one for him, to win it for my state, to win it for the university, it really means a lot to be able to do that. It’s my hometown state, and that’s why I stayed at the University of Georgia and came here,” he said. “Everybody bought in. The connection was real among the team, and everything paid off. Just winning a National Championship for the University of Georgia was truly a blessing. It’s something that’s never going to be forgotten. It’s in the history books.”
He was also quick to be humble when asked about his game-changing stop of Agiye Hall at the end of the first half, a play which draft analysts have pointed to frequently in making the case for Walker as the top choice on Thursday evening.
“It was nothing too special about this play. It was just me doing my job and covering down to the football. Obviously, as I’m coming down to the football, a couple of people missed the tackle and overran it or whatever,” Walker said. “I just saw everything open up. I’m looking at nothing but him in my view and his arm, and I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve got to get this ball off or just not let him score.’ If he’d scored, it would have definitely changed the whole momentum of the game.”
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Travon Walker on potentially being No. 1: ‘ I want to be the best, and I am the best.’
Of course, there was plenty of talk about Travon Walker’s potential selection atop the draft board, and he didn’t shy away from the spotlight when asked.
“I feel great about that,” he said when asked about the possibility of being number one. “I truly feel it’s a blessing be in the position that people are talking about me being number one. Coming from a lot of people really sleeping on me to a lot of people saying I may go number one is truly a blessing.”
But if it doesn’t happen, he’ll be ready to serve wherever he is called.
“It wouldn’t bother me too much, because at the end of the day, I’m just blessed to be in this position. Coming from college and going to the NFL and get paid to do something that I love to do, I really can’t complain about that,” Walker said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of my whole life. Just to be able to play in the NFL is truly a blessing.”
He’s also looking forward to proving those who would doubt him wrong.
“People like that, I just let them know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Everybody can have their own view on things. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just know I’m a hard worker. I know who I am. I want to be the best, and I am the best. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion.”
