Recently, things have seemed to trend towards Trent Baalke going with Travon Walker at No. 1 in the 2022 NFL Draft. And when the moment came, it turned out that noise was no smokescreen.

The Jaguars made the Georgia defensive end the first non-quarterback to go No. 1 overall since Myles Garrett in 2017 on Thursday night, taking Walker over Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson to bolster a defense that finished last season ranked 20th in the league.

Even a year ago, it seemed likely that an edge rusher would go first overall, though at that time, Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux was atop most boards. Hutchinson, a Heisman Trophy nominee, broke out this season, but Walker’s combine performance and upside vaulted him to the top.

The 6-foot-5, 272-pound junior ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, the fastest by a player over 270 pounds since at least 2006. He racked up six sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss on a stacked Georgia defense last season, helping the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980.

Walker’s production in college wasn’t quite on the level of Hutchinson’s, but his upside and length are considered to be greater. In Jacksonville’s 3-4 defense, he should be part of a formidable pass-rushing tandem with Josh Allen as Doug Pederson attempts to build a competitive team out of the rubble left behind by Urban Meyer.

Last season, when the Jaguars also held the No. 1 pick, they went with the obvious choice in QB Trevor Lawrence. But their season became a running joke with Meyer at the helm, with a series of scandals and leaks undermining Lawrence’s rookie campaign, as he struggled with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Get the complete list of first-round 2022 NFL Draft picks, with analysis and more from the New York Post.

Jacksonville is unlikely to be competitive next season — it will take more than one offseason for their rebuild to be complete — but they have taken steps to mold their offense around Lawrence. The signing of Christian Kirk, along with devoting money to Cam Robinson and Brandon Scherff on the offensive line, form a group that on paper give Lawrence more to work with than he had in 2021.

Defensively, the Jaguars will hope that Walker turns into a similar cornerstone.

A native of Thomaston, Ga., Walker was a five-star recruit at Upson-Lee High before committing to Georgia.

Though he was a full-time starter for just one of three years in college, Walker’s upside is as high as anyone in the draft. Baalke is betting on that upside, with a pick he can ill-afford to get wrong.