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Campservations: Minicamp, Day 1

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JACKSONVILLE – Jaguars 2022 Rookie Minicamp opened Friday.

The Jaguars' first rookie minicamp under Head Coach Doug Pederson is being held inside TIAA Bank Field, with Friday's session was mostly drill work with some seven-on-seven work and an 11-on-11 period near the end. Here are Friday's "campservations" from four members of Jaguars Media – senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton, senior reporter/editor J.P. Shadrick and team reporter Ashlyn Sullivan:

Jaguars Senior Writer John Oehser…
  • The teaching, and acclimating nature of minicamp means short practices with no contact work and precious little 11-on-11 full-speed work. But a couple of quick first impressions from Friday are that No. 1 overall selection/outside linebacker Travon Walker very much looks the part of an elite selection – and that Round 1 linebacker Devin Lloyd and Round 3 linebacker Chad Muma move and look like the immediate contributors their draft status suggests. We saw them for a little more than an hour Friday, and they look like they belong. Another thought from Friday concerns Head Coach Doug Pederson's pre-practice press conference when he had this to say about resetting the culture after last season's "difficulties" on and off the field under 13-game Head Coach Urban Meyer: "I do believe there has to be some kind of healing with the situation that transpired last year; there's a trust that was broken. For me, it's about gaining the trust back." That's strong, bold stuff – and an approach that should resonate with players.
Jaguars Senior Correspondent Brian Sexton …
  • It took only seconds Friday to understand why General Manager Trent Baalke and Pederson drafted Walker. Few men look the part so completely as the rookie outside linebacker from Georgia. He checks every box. His shoulders stretch to the hash marks on the field and the catchers' mitts at the end of those endlessly long arms seem to engulf everything they touched. I stood in front of the Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson the day before the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, Nev.; physically, there is no comparison between the two. Walker was drafted on his physical traits and Hutchinson on his college production. Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean told me he was the best player on the best defense in college football last season and it's easy to see why even when he's only working in shells. It's way too early to know if he's going to turn out to be the home run that you expect at the top of the draft, but it's hard not to see him being at least a triple. You take that swing, considering this was reported to be a draft full of doubles.
Jaguars Senior Reporter/Editor J.P. Shadrick …
  • The practice tone Friday seemed very much like Pederson's personality – very calm but calculated. I don't remember hearing any assistant coaches screaming, and guess what? The players still got their work done. It was good to see the rookies and tryout players on the field – and to see them actually running some seven-on-seven and full team drills. Walker looks the part: he's every bit of his listed 6-feet-5, 272 pounds – and seeing him work at outside linebacker will be interesting as the offseason progresses. In his post-practice press conference, he seemed to be bothered by nothing else at the moment but football – and getting acclimated to the NFL. Lloyd and Muma were both running around well, and running back Snoop Conner has a strong frame up close – bigger than he looks on TV.
Jaguars Team Reporter Ashlyn Sullivan …
  • Walker is big … by far the biggest on the field. I know that is not a "fancy observation," but it was the headliner Friday. Seeing Walker in gloves and going through drills makes it clear why he was chosen No. 1 overall; he is WAY bigger than Hutchinson. In addition, it is clear watching drills which rookies are draft picks and which aren't. Lloyd and Muma stood out Friday, picking up the defense very quickly and already communicating with coaches and other players on what they are seeing. When you see Muma and Lloyd stand in a line with the rookies, it is clear why they were drafted. Those rookies look NFL ready.

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