Defence headlines top 5 picks of NFL draft as Jags select pass rusher Travon Walker No. 1

D-E-F-E-N-C-E, D-E-F-E-N-C-E.

That sure was the chant at the outset of the NFL draft Thursday night, with the first five selections coming on that side of the ball, including edge rushers Travon Walker of national champion Georgia to Jacksonville and Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan to Detroit at Nos. 1 and 2.

It's the first time in 31 years that no player on offence went in the opening five picks. So, naturally, the next five choices were on offence. And those kept coming: right through No. 12.

But no quarterbacks, hardly a surprise in a draft rich with linemen, receivers and defensive backs.

The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Walker, who has some raw elements to his game but an extremely high ceiling for his skills, joins former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the second straight top overall selection by the Jaguars. Walker was a one-year starter whose production (13 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 sacks) doesn't jump out because he was part of a deep rotation at Georgia. His talent level certainly impressed the Jaguars, the NFL's worst team the past two years.

"He's an athletic freak," Georgia defensive coordinator Will Muschamp told The Associated Press. "I swear to God he could line up at middle linebacker and go be fine. I would take him at No. 1 and not even blink."

The Jaguars didn't blink.

Commissioner Roger Goodell began the proceedings by estimating more than 100,000 fans were on hand at the theater built specifically for the draft. Walker was not in Las Vegas.

Hutchinson, a sack-master whose consistency and relentlessness helped the Wolverines to their first College Football Playoff, is staying home as a pro. The 6-foot-6, 265-pounder whose father Chris was a star player at Michigan in the 1990s, was the Heisman Trophy