The Jacksonville Jaguars may well have the NFL’s next superstar on their hands.
Having traded up to select Colorado Buffaloes two-way standout Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jaguars now need to decide what to do with the Florida native.
Officially announced by the Jaguars with two separate social media posts, one calling him a wide receiver and the other calling him a defensive back, quarterback Trevor Lawrence has detailed exactly how he plans to get his new offensive weapon more reps in training camp.
Speaking in an appearance on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Lawrence was questioned all about Hunter, with host Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz joining that Jacksonville’s QB1 should target the rookie to “pick on him” and force him into solely being on offense.
“I said that,” Lawrence said, laughing. “His first day over at DB, I was like, ‘We’re throwing every ball at you.’ He’s pretty freakin’ good at corner too though.
“But yeah, he’s—I mean a guy like him, he could do whatever he wanted to do. It’s going to be interesting in the NFL, like, how much can you play both ways? I don’t know … I mean if there’s a guy that can do it, he can do it…
“But yeah, definitely that first day I was like, ‘I’m throwing every ball at you so you come back to offense.'”
Establishing himself as an elite-level wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado, the 2024 Heisman winner wants to become the NFL’s first true dual-threat, much like Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is in the MLB.
When being on the field for virtually every snap of the game, Hunter needs to ensure that his body is in the right condition to play at such a high level, but according to Lawrence, this has not been a concern whatsoever.
“This guy can run all day,” Lawrence said of the physical shape that Hunter is in.
“Plays DB, plays receiver. Like he’ll run a post route or whatever, and say we miss it or I want it run different, he’ll be like, ‘Oh I’ll run it again.’ He’ll just come right back [and run it].
“And other guys, I mean everyone I’ve played with, like no one does that. It’s not shade on anybody else, but it’s like, no one’s trying to run 50 yards full speed again right when they just did it.”
Although Hunter has dreams of playing on both sides of the ball when he finally takes to an NFL field, there is some skepticism about whether the Jaguars will allow him to do so.
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce offered his two cents on whether the rookie will be able to achieve the goal of his to become All-Pro on both offense and defense, with teams all over the league likely already theorizing how they will slow Hunter down.
“Both sides? That’s the thing, I don’t know how they’re going to divvy it out,” Kelce said on an appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast.
“I don’t know, because teams are going to be going after him. They’re gonna try and make his day miserable.
“If he plays corner, they’re gonna run deep balls at him all day. They’re gonna run the wide receivers, just take off on him all day, just to try to get him tired. Why wouldn’t you just attack him that way?”
Despite those concerns, the three-time Super Bowl champion has no doubts that Hunter has the skillset to be a huge success in the NFL.
When asked about it, Kelce said: “Hell yes, 100%. World class athlete. … I saw him play basketball and I was like ‘Oh yeah, he’s an athlete.’”
Hunter signed a four-year rookie contract with his hometown team worth $46.6 million, including a $30.6 million signing bonus.
This is 10 times the amount his collegiate teammate, and Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders received after he fell to the fifth round of the draft.
Though he is determined to play on both sides of the ball under the bright lights in the NFL, it still remains to be seen whether Hunter will actually be allowed to do so, with the logistics, such as team meetings, film and practice, making things very difficult, and borderline impossible.
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