Jaguars Rookie Receives Massive Prediction

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a productive offseason, addressing several of their most pressing needs in free agency and the NFL Draft. Jacksonville traded up in the draft to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to help them on both sides of the ball this upcoming season.

Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated predicted each team's best rookie this season. It is no surprise that the selection for the Jaguars was Hunter.

"Hunter had little competition for this slot—Jacksonville didn’t pick again until No. 88— but it likely wouldn’t have mattered. Hunter’s rare two-way versatility should result in early impact plays on both sides," Flick said.

Flick noted a few of Hunter's traits that should translate well to the professional level for the Jaguars.

"He’s athletic, explosive, and has terrific ball skills, which translates to receiver and corner. Hunter is further developed at corner than receiver, but he’s talented enough to continue doing both at a high level," Flick said.

According to the Draft Network, "Hunter displays the athletic ability to stay in phase and not lose foot races when threatened vertically. Hunter’s quick and smooth footwork, fluid hips, and explosive athleticism allow him to mirror his target during the release phase. Sanders has the potential due to his athletic profile to become a sticky man-to-man defender with the right development and time.

"Hunter has an elite ceiling as a primary zone cornerback. He has great instincts, football IQ, and vision to read and diagnose route concepts. He has a quick trigger to click and close on routes breaking in front of him. He has excellent ball skills to generate turnovers—he is a coverage playmaker. Hunter’s ability to play the halfway point of Hi-Lo reads is special. This is why he excels at baiting QBs to test vulnerable windows. He has a smooth backpedal to pair with his excellent change of direction skills, making it difficult to work past him with deep zone responsibilities. 

Hunter’s situational awareness is one of his best traits. He understands offensive formations and what routes can potentially manifest post-snap, especially in the red zone. He works press-bail well by quickly jamming his receiver before dropping to his landmarks and will hinge toward threatening routes entering his zone."

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