How Jaguars' Travis Hunter Can Reach Elite Company

Selected by the then-St. Louis Cardinals in the 1979 draft, Green played sparingly at wide receiver over those first three years but excelled after Jim Hanifan shifted him full-time to offense before Green’s fourth season, 1982. He led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns as an All-Pro in 1983, then led the league with 1,555 receiving yards as an All-Pro in 1984.

John Madden listed Green on his 1984 All-Madden Team and called him not only the best receiver in the league but the best player in football.

Green dabbled as a wide receiver early in his career. What ultimately convinced the Cardinals to move him was the incredible 21.5-yards-per-catch average he posted on just 33 receptions in 1981. Green also had four interceptions as a defensive back over those three seasons.

Hunter could post similar production early in his career, if the Jaguars use him primarily on defense while exploiting mismatches in week-to-week offensive gameplans. One exclusive group Hunter could join is those NFL players who’ve caught touchdown passes and recorded interceptions in the same game.

Green did it on Sept. 20, 1981. In a 40-30 win at Busch Stadium, Green caught a 58-yard touchdown from Jim Hart and also intercepted Joe Theismann.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, only five players have accomplished an interception and touchdown reception in the same game since 1956. Green (9/20/81) joined Brian Dawkins (9/29/02), Jim Houston (12/11/66), Ed Sutton (12/8/57) and Jack Butler (12/16/56).

By comparison, in college, Hunter did it an incredible four times. As a freshman at Jackson State in 2022, he did it against Alcorn State when he returned an interception 44 yards for a score and also registered a 10-yard touchdown catch.

At Colorado in 2024, he pulled it off three times, first at Colorado State, with two touchdown receptions and an interception in a 28-9 victory. Two weeks later at Central Florida, he had a touchdown catch and interception in a 48-21 win. And in his last college home game, the regular-season finale in Boulder against Oklahoma State, he wrapped up the Heisman Trophy with three touchdown catches and another interception in a 52-0 triumph.

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