The Jacksonville Jaguars made a massive splash on Day 1 of the NFL draft, trading up to pick Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter with the second overall pick.
Let’s break down the selection.
Travis Hunter’s profile
- Height: 6-01
- Weight: 185
- Age: 21
- College profile
Breaking down the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ pick
Hunter doesn’t only play wide receiver and cornerback, but he does both at an extremely high level. Coming into this year’s NFL draft, Hunter was considered by many draft analysts to be the top wide receiver and the top cornerback in this year’s class.
Hunter was dominant on both sides of the ball last season. As a wideout, he hauled in an impressive 79% of his 121 targets, averaging over 13 yards per catch. At cornerback, he surrendered a completion rate of 56%, and despite being targeted just 41 times the entire year, he still managed to come away with four interceptions and seven pass breakups.
In terms of how the Jaguars will manage Hunter’s time at the NFL level when it comes to playing both positions, along with being mindful of his workload, Jacksonville has a schedule in place, but as Liam Coen said, they’ll have to remain “fluid” and quick to adjust as needed. As Hunter gets acclimated to the Jaguars and the NFL level, he will be onboarded on the offensive side of the ball.
While we ultimately have to see what his playing time on each side of the ball looks like, I could see a scenario where the bulk of Hunter’s snaps come on offense–since it was reported before the draft that the Jaguars’ wanted to add to that unit early on in the draft–and then defensively, he sees snaps during obvouis passing situations, where his ball skills can be on display. This can also help reduce the number of hits Hunter takes by not having him on the field during running downs.
Travis Hunter’s scouting report
NFL.com
Lance Zierlein: “Exciting two-way player whose world-class athleticism and ball skills help him shine on both sides of the ball. Hunter is an instinctive, natural football player with a feel for making the biggest plays at the biggest times. He was the best player on his team by a long stretch. On offense, Hunter gets by on talent over technique but will need to smooth out the journey from press release to catch with better route running. He has the burst to uncover over three levels with ball skills and catch focus that are reminiscent of DeVonta Smith in his Heisman Trophy-winning season. The cornerback tape was solid in 2023 and improved across the board in 2024. Hunter takes his skills and instincts from receiver and transfers them to cornerback, where they amplify his ball-hawking talent and production. Hunter plays with excellent anticipation from man or zone with burst and playmaking range that should terrify quarterbacks. He possesses rare ball skills and leaping ability to make challenging interceptions and he will contest a high number of passes. He’s leggy and loses some ground when transitioning from his pedal, and he needs to prove he can handle the rigors of NFL run support. Hunter was playing twice as much as his fellow prospects, and he lacks ideal frame size at both receiver and cornerback. Teams will need to make a decision on where and how to play Hunter, but he’s capable of making a good number of winning plays as a future star no matter the choice.”
They said it
Liam Coen: “First and foremost, the competitor,” Coen said of what stands out about Hunter, via Sports Illustrated. “Just the player in general, the snaps that he takes, the preparation, the accountability, the way that he’s in the building at 5 a.m. training his body. … On both sides of the ball, he impacts the gams. He has a great feel for the game itself. When he’s on the offensive side of the ball, finding zones in the defense. He’s got really good ball skills. He can do something with it after the catch.
“Then on the defensive side of the ball, he finds it, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to do here is continue to find people that can help us get our hands on the ball on the defensive side and go impact the game in that way.”
James Gladstone: “He’s a rare person,” Gladstone said via the team site. “He’s a rare player. But he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were built to be challenged. We want him to be nothing more than him – because when he is, he elevates the space around him – from the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself. Travis Hunter is who we’ve been hunting up.”
Travis Hunter’s RAS card
Travis Hunter was drafted in round 1 pick 2 in the 2025 draft class. He does not qualify for a #RAS due to a lack of measurements. https://t.co/tO19y0YNj7pic.twitter.com/MBudW7twSl
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2025
Highlights
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Breaking down Jaguars’ pick of WR/CB Travis Hunter
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a massive splash on Day 1 of the NFL draft, trading up to pick Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter with the second overall pick.
Let’s break down the selection.
Travis Hunter’s profile
- Height: 6-01
- Weight: 185
- Age: 21
- College profile
Breaking down the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ pick
Hunter doesn’t only play wide receiver and cornerback, but he does both at an extremely high level. Coming into this year’s NFL draft, Hunter was considered by many draft analysts to be the top wide receiver and the top cornerback in this year’s class.
Hunter was dominant on both sides of the ball last season. As a wideout, he hauled in an impressive 79% of his 121 targets, averaging over 13 yards per catch. At cornerback, he surrendered a completion rate of 56%, and despite being targeted just 41 times the entire year, he still managed to come away with four interceptions and seven pass breakups.
In terms of how the Jaguars will manage Hunter’s time at the NFL level when it comes to playing both positions, along with being mindful of his workload, Jacksonville has a schedule in place, but as Liam Coen said, they’ll have to remain “fluid” and quick to adjust as needed. As Hunter gets acclimated to the Jaguars and the NFL level, he will be onboarded on the offensive side of the ball.
While we ultimately have to see what his playing time on each side of the ball looks like, I could see a scenario where the bulk of Hunter’s snaps come on offense–since it was reported before the draft that the Jaguars’ wanted to add to that unit early on in the draft–and then defensively, he sees snaps during obvouis passing situations, where his ball skills can be on display. This can also help reduce the number of hits Hunter takes by not having him on the field during running downs.
Travis Hunter’s scouting report
NFL.com
Lance Zierlein: “Exciting two-way player whose world-class athleticism and ball skills help him shine on both sides of the ball. Hunter is an instinctive, natural football player with a feel for making the biggest plays at the biggest times. He was the best player on his team by a long stretch. On offense, Hunter gets by on talent over technique but will need to smooth out the journey from press release to catch with better route running. He has the burst to uncover over three levels with ball skills and catch focus that are reminiscent of DeVonta Smith in his Heisman Trophy-winning season. The cornerback tape was solid in 2023 and improved across the board in 2024. Hunter takes his skills and instincts from receiver and transfers them to cornerback, where they amplify his ball-hawking talent and production. Hunter plays with excellent anticipation from man or zone with burst and playmaking range that should terrify quarterbacks. He possesses rare ball skills and leaping ability to make challenging interceptions and he will contest a high number of passes. He’s leggy and loses some ground when transitioning from his pedal, and he needs to prove he can handle the rigors of NFL run support. Hunter was playing twice as much as his fellow prospects, and he lacks ideal frame size at both receiver and cornerback. Teams will need to make a decision on where and how to play Hunter, but he’s capable of making a good number of winning plays as a future star no matter the choice.”
They said it
Liam Coen: “First and foremost, the competitor,” Coen said of what stands out about Hunter, via Sports Illustrated. “Just the player in general, the snaps that he takes, the preparation, the accountability, the way that he’s in the building at 5 a.m. training his body. … On both sides of the ball, he impacts the gams. He has a great feel for the game itself. When he’s on the offensive side of the ball, finding zones in the defense. He’s got really good ball skills. He can do something with it after the catch.
“Then on the defensive side of the ball, he finds it, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to do here is continue to find people that can help us get our hands on the ball on the defensive side and go impact the game in that way.”
James Gladstone: “He’s a rare person,” Gladstone said via the team site. “He’s a rare player. But he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were built to be challenged. We want him to be nothing more than him – because when he is, he elevates the space around him – from the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself. Travis Hunter is who we’ve been hunting up.”
Travis Hunter’s RAS card
Travis Hunter was drafted in round 1 pick 2 in the 2025 draft class. He does not qualify for a #RAS due to a lack of measurements. https://t.co/tO19y0YNj7pic.twitter.com/MBudW7twSl
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2025
Highlights
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Breaking down Jaguars’ pick of WR/CB Travis Hunter
