Jaguars' Veteran Weighs In on Travis Hunter

The Jacksonville Jaguars made arguably the biggest move of the 2025 offseason last week, trading a future first-round pick to move up to No. 2 overall to select Colorado Buffaloes Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

Announcing the selecting during the draft at Green Bay was none other than Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who then became the first of Hunter's new teammates to welcome him to the NFL.

Speaking with TMZ Sports, Armstead made it clear that it is easy for everyone to see the Jaguars have now added a rare player to their locker room.

"I think this is rare air," Armstead said. "We have a player here who would have been a first-round pick as a receiver or a cornerback. And, you know, that's very unlikely that a prospect could be a first-round pick at two different positions."

The Jaguars have already made it clear what Hunter's development track will look like; he will major in wide receiver and minor in defensive back, though the exact split is yet to be truly determined.

"[Liam Coen] came out and said that they want to start him off on offense and sprinkle him into defense. I think that's the plan they have for [Travis], and we're excited to have him," Armstead said.

"And, you know, it's going to be a bit of a transition for him like it is for all of us rookies in the NFL, but he's a dynamic player. And, I think he's going to add a different element to our team that's going to be very exciting."

Armstead was actually set to announce a pick for the Jaguars on Day 2 following his win of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, but things changed once the Jaguars had the trade for Hunter set in motion.

“You want to talk about being agile," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said after picking Hunter.

"I think Arik was originally slotted to do the second-round pick, and he hit me up at breakfast the other morning and was, like, ‘Looking forward to the opportunity, heading up this evening, should be a blast.’ I'm thinking in the back of my mind, ‘Should I give him the heads-up?’ No, but they pivoted, and they remained agile there in real-time in Green Bay. The atmosphere there certainly looked great.”