Early bold take on Travis Hunter's rookie season says plenty about his development and what the Jaguars may want from him now
The Jacksonville Jaguars invested a lot for the right to draft Travis Hunter, and a big reason for that is obvious: His ability to play on both sides of the ball. But how much he will play at wide receiver and cornerback early on is a big question about his early impact for the team.NFL.com's […]
The Jacksonville Jaguars invested a lot for the right to draft Travis Hunter, and a big reason for that is obvious: His ability to play on both sides of the ball. But how much he will play at wide receiver and cornerback early on is a big question about his early impact for the team.
NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha wrote an interesting piece with bold predictions for the upcoming season, and he brought a valid perspective about how things will shake out. Because wide receiver is a more detailed position, in which Hunter needs more development, Chadiha predicted that the rookie will actually be more impactful on defense in his first NFL season.
"The Jaguars have grand visions for Hunter after trading up to take him with the second overall pick in this year's draft. He wants to play on offense and defense, and the Jags are doing their best to make sure he's a capable performer on both sides of the football. However, it's also worth noting a couple things here. One is that Hunter is far more polished as a defender at this stage of his career. He's capable of lining up at cornerback from Day 1 and playing a huge role in a Jacksonville defense that was one of the league's worst last season. The other fact worth remembering is the narratives coming out of Duval County recently. The Jaguars are spending more time coaching up Hunter at receiver because he needs more work at that position. Despite his success as a two-way player at Colorado, he's going to need more reps to learn how to operate at that spot against top-flight defensive backs. That doesn't mean he won't have some impressive moments. It's just that he won't even be Jacksonville's top target, as the team already has a strong receiver in second-year pro Brian Thomas Jr., who produced 87 receptions, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. The Jags don't have anybody in the secondary with the potential to do what Hunter can do. That's why he's going to shine more on that side of the football." — Jeffri Chadiha
As an organization, the Jaguars seem to believe that Hunter can do both at the same time. That's what general manager James Gladstone is betting on. How much he plays on each side might depend on specific needs on a weekly basis.
"He does not tire," Gladstone told SiriusXM NFL. "He's got a spark, he's got the energy, the capacity from a physical standpoint to be able to do it is certainly there. Certain game plans might dictate usage differently. Putting a number on it at this stage is premature."
During his final college season at Colorado, Travis Hunter played more defensive snaps, but the difference was minimal. He had 713 snaps on defense and 709 on offense.
Hunter finished the year with 96 receptions, 1,258 yards, and 15 touchdowns as a wide receiver, plus 36 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended, and a forced fumble as a cornerback.
The Jaguars’ trade for Travis Hunter is allowing them to avoid an issue that most of the NFL is currently suffering from
The Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the biggest moves of the offseason by trading up for two-way phenom Travis Hunter. The biggest perk of this move is, obviously, the fact that they acquired one of, if not the best player, in the 2025 NFL Draft. Another perk has become clear, though, thanks to them trading […]
