Recent Jaguars Trade Being Unfairly Viewed and Graded

Revisiting Jaguars' Travis Hunter Jr. trade

There's no denying that the Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a lot to acquire Travis Hunter Jr. in the 2025 NFL Draft. They sent the Cleveland Browns a trove of assets to swap from pick five to two. In total, they sent:

-Picks No. 5, No. 36, No. 126 in 2025
-Jacksonville's first-round pick in 2026

in return for:

-Picks No. 2, No. 104, and No. 200 in 2025

Essentially, they sent the Browns an additional third and first-round pick to get Travis Hunter Jr. at two. It would have been well worth it if the Jaguars got an elite two-way presence who could dominate at both wide receiver and cornerback for the team. So far, he hasn't had a worthwhile impact on either side of the ball.

In four games, he has registered 13 catches on 21 targets for 118 yards on offense and 11 combined tackles and one pass defended on D.

Travis Hunter Jr. trade scrutiny is premature

He did make some key plays in the Jaguars' latest win over the San Francisco 49ers, including a crucial 28-yard contested catch to convert on third down deep in Jacksonville's own territory, but his spotty usage has elicited some intense scrutiny for the team and what they gave up to get him.

CBS Sports' Jared Dubin recently wrote:

"If he's just going to be a part-time player on both sides, or a part-time player on offense and barely a factor on defense like he was in Week 1, then the value the Jaguars gave up to go get him isn't there. They need to use him more often to justify the price they paid."

"...the offensive usage is not conducive to getting the most out of his skill set, even when you consider that he was rawer as a receiver than as a defensive back coming out of college. You have to be able to stretch the field vertically every so often instead of using him only around the line of scrimmage. Otherwise, defenses are just going to sit on the short stuff and even start taking away some of his run-after-catch opportunities. Considering that's been the only way he's made positive contributions on offense to date, it obviously wouldn't be ideal if that stuff went away."

Obviously, the Jaguars have bigger plans for their second-overall pick on both sides of the ball than what he's shown so far. Still, something that practically everyone who has dissected the trade has failed to account for so far is Jacksonville's success this season, despite Hunter Jr.'s relative slow start.

If the Jaguars continue to win the way they have to begin the 2025 campaign, they'll likely give up a pick in the 20s to the Browns. That's a whole lot more digestible than if they gifted Cleveland a top-10 selection after a discouraging season for both the rookie and the team overall. Hopefully, Jacksonville will continue to prove its pundits wrong, both by racking up wins, driving down the value of their 2026 first, and continuing to nurture Hunter Jr. into the two-way star they wanted.

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