Jacksonville Jaguars Rookie Travis Hunter To Join NFL Elite, Make History?

CBS Sports ranked Hunter as the No. 1 rookie to watch to make Prisco’s Top 100 list following the 2025 season. 

“Hunter’s best attribute is the ability to play the ball in the air. His statistics are irrelevant if he proves capable of being an asset on both sides of the football, because no one else has been able to achieve that feat in recent history,” CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards wrote. “There will be a learning curve for Hunter the wide receiver, but he is top tier in terms of getting off the line of scrimmage, attacking the ball in the air and creating yards after the catch.”

Per Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, the team had Hunter practice as a wide receiver first through rookie minicamp to help him adjust to the learning curves. The former Colorado star is a gifted athlete and to Gladstone and the team’s understanding, the defensive back position comes more naturally to Hunter. 

As the Jaguars' minicamp progressed, Hunter began working with both the offense and defense, switching it up each day. With how the team is preparing him, Hunter could be one of the top rookies in the NFL.

Hunter has +900 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and +20000 odds to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Which award he wins could very well come down to which side of the ball he earns more snaps on.

With the Colorado Buffaloes, Hunter led the team with 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. On defense, he totaled 35 combined tackles, 11 passes defended, four interceptions, and one forced fumble. Hunter averaged over 100 snaps per game in 2024.

The Jaguars have not said for sure how many snaps Hunter will play on each side of the ball. Gladstone emphasized that the decision on which position Hunter plays would come down to the game plan each week.

“Time will truly tell and I think the thing you can in fact read into at this stage is that he does not tire. He has got a spark. He has got the energy. The capacity from a physical standpoint just to be able to do it, it’s certainly there,” Gladstone said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It will be in terms of one game to the next, where does it fit, where does it make the most sense. Certain gameplans may dictate usage differently.”

The Jaguars finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record. The defense allowed an average of 257.4 passing yards per game. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw just 11 touchdowns in the season. Hunter will play a role in improving Jacksonville on both sides of the ball and the Jaguars could end up having the exciting offense they have been trying to build since drafting Lawrence in 2021.

Hunter cannot be named a top rookie let alone a top 100 player in the league until the season begins, but he is a talented athlete and the Jaguars are confident in their first-round selection.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off its season on Sept. 7 against the Carolina Panthers. 

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