Executives address if Jaguars paid too much to draft Travis Hunter

The Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the biggest splashes of the 2025 NFL Draft when they sent the No. 5 overall pick, a second-round choice (No. 36), a fourth-round selection (No. 126) and a 2026 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 2 selection along with fourth-round (No. 104) and sixth-round picks (No. 200). 

Jacksonville then selected Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter as the second pick of this year's draft. 

For an article published on Thursday, Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke with league executives about whether or not Jaguars general manager James Gladstone "paid too much" for the right to draft Hunter. 

"The Jags have a young GM who, by all accounts, would be more analytically inclined in his decision-making, in an organization that you think holds analytics in high regard, and what do they do? They do the opposite of the analytical decision by trading up to select a non-quarterback," one executive told Sando. 

Regardless of a trade rumor that seemingly popped up out of nowhere this past winter, the Jaguars had no interest in acquiring an eventual replacement for starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the draft. As for Hunter, he said ahead of the draft that he'd consider "never playing football again" if a team tried to stop him from being a two-way player later this year. Nevertheless, The Athletic's Michael Salfino noted in a different article published on Thursday that Jacksonville plans to use Hunter "primarily as a wide receiver" during his rookie season. 

"They traded a QB price to move up three spots and take a wide receiver," Salfino added. That's a price executives around the league wouldn't have paid. 

"Hunter will really affect the game and will be great for the quarterback, but I would not have paid that much," a different executive told Sando. "We’ll see when they are not picking in the first round next year how it feels, and if it’s a top-10 pick they traded away."

Analysts and reporters mentioned before the draft that injury concerns would ultimately limit how much any team would let Hunter feature as a two-way player at the highest level. A third executive echoed that take. 

"As soon as he gets one injury and is out for three weeks, he is going to one side of the ball," that executive said about the Jaguars' handling of Hunter. 

Gladstone may have the last laugh if Hunter helps Lawrence become an elite quarterback by the time January 2026 rolls around. If Lawrence fails to make a big jump over the next few years, however, the Browns may ultimately be viewed as the winners of this trade regardless of how Hunter performs as a Jacksonville receiver.