Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) jogs to his first drill during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third mandatory minicamp Thursday June 12, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars' Bold Travis Hunter Move Receives More Praise

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the boldest move of the entire NFL offseason in April.

When they completed a blockbuster trade for Colorado Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the Jaguars put themselves directly on track to be a franchise known for aggressive moves. Hunter was the best player in the draft, but the Jaguars had to pay an understandably steep price to the Cleveland Browns to move up from No. 5 overall.

That price is reflected in Hunter's rare talents and versatility however. There are no players in the NFL who are doing what Hunter is aiming to do as a two-way player, which makes Hunter one of the NFL's most valuable players right out of the gate.

As a result, it is hardly a surprise to see Hunter and the trade to acquire him listed by Pro Football Focus as the best move the Jaguars made this offseason.

"General manager James Gladstone has his sights set on changing the culture in Jacksonville. There’s nobody better to do that with than the most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter," PFF said.

"Jacksonville made a gutsy move, trading up to the second overall pick, to acquire Hunter, but he could potentially help them at two positions, wide receiver and cornerback. If Hunter can perform on both sides of the ball as he did at Colorado, he could become the NFL’s most valuable non-quarterback."

After serving as Shedeur Sanders' go-to receivers in college, Hunter has already begun to make a strong impression on his new quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The Jaguars veteran quarterback has not been afraid to praise Hunter throughout the team's offseason program, while Hunter is clearly going to be a key piece of the season Lawrence is about to have in 2025.

"Like, he’ll run a post route and say we missed it, and I’d want to run a different one, and he’d say, ‘Oh, I’ll run it again,’ and just come right back," Lawrence said this week on Pardon My Take. "Everyone I’ve played with, no one does that."

"No shade on anyone else, but no one is trying to run 50 yards full speed again right when they just did it."