“I feel like I’ve always been a leader since I was a little kid, it’s just now it may be a little more brought to you as far as the media and fans as I get older as a player,” he said. “I talk, laugh around, joke around, but I’m more go out there and get the job done. A lot of guys just see the hard work that I put in and the dedication that I have for the love of the game.
“Going into Year 4, I’m a lot more mature when it comes to how I’m carrying myself in the building and how I’m going about myself outside of the building as well.”
Said Campanile, “When he speaks, people listen. There’s a lot to that. When he speaks, it means something to the guys on the team and people listen.”
Walker in three seasons has improved steadily as a pass rusher, registering 3.5 sacks as a rookie in 2022 before registering 10 in 2023 and 10.5 in 2024. He long has been a front-line player against the run, and last season became the first drafted player in franchise history to register back-to-back double-digit-sack seasons.
“I started pass rushing at defensive end, probably my sophomore year of college,” Walker said. “I always had the athleticism to be great, but now I’m starting to just put everything together. There are some things where I’m like, ‘Oh shoot, I definitely could have worked on some things better right here.’ But now it’s just trying to get one percent better every day, every year. That’s the main goal.
“There’s always room for improvement, but I feel like I’m establishing myself, especially amongst the team. That’s all that really matters. It really doesn’t matter what the media thinks, fans think or anybody else. As long as I get my respect from my teammates and my peers, that’s all that matters.”
Campanile said he knew of Walker before arriving in Jacksonville this offseason, saying he knew Walker was serious, driven and wanted to be great. He also said he believes Walker can be just that moving forward in the Jaguars’ new defensive system.