Travis Hunter, the Jacksonville Jaguars' second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had himself a pretty decent first game on Sunday in Week 1. For starters, it was a win, so that's always good, but he also broke a record and made history.
In their 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, Hunter broke a 20-year record, where he is now the only player over the last 20 seasons with at least five catches and at least five defensive snaps in a game, according to CBS Sports. On Sunday, he had six catches for 33 yards and played six defensive snaps. He didn't play a ton, but he was great.
The ONLY player over the last 20 seasons with 5+ receptions and 5+ defensive snaps in a game
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 7, 2025
Travis Hunter pic.twitter.com/c3IGfPdh0k
It's clear as day that Hunter is going to be one of the best players in the league eventually. When will that time come? Well, that's the biggest question. After watching his first game, it's hard to gather anything from it that tells you he definitely is. But the promising thing is that he was good, not bad, not great, on both sides of the ball.
When you're talking about the best players in the league, everything is factored in, and it really comes down to who provides the most value for their team. The guy who is going to be a good football player on both sides of the ball will inevitably be one of the best players in the league. It's very easy to see that he is going to be a great wide receiver in this league, regardless. The cornerback spot is the one that has a question mark by it in terms of how good he can be in the NFL.
In his NFL debut, he only played six snaps on the defensive side of the ball, and while they were all good, it doesn't give us enough to work with. Cornerback is probably the second-hardest position in football, besides being the quarterback. Six snaps just aren't enough to tell if he will even be able to play the position full-time in the NFL.
But it's obvious that, if he can make an impact on both sides of the ball, then he is extremely valuable to his team. Hunter is going to be a superstar. He and the Jaguars will play the Cincinnati Bengals next week.
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