The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t just make a splash in the 2025 NFL Draft, they cannonballed into a new era by trading up to the No. 2 overall pick to select Colorado’s two-way phenom: Travis Hunter.
In the first blockbuster move of this year’s draft, Jacksonville struck a deal with the Cleveland Browns: giving up the No. 5 pick, a second-rounder (No. 36), a fourth-rounder (No. 126) and a 2026 first-round pick. In return, the Jags received the No. 2 pick, plus fourth- and sixth-round selections.
The price was steep, but the reward is a rare unicorn, a Heisman Trophy winner with elite ability on both sides of the ball.
“There are players who can change a game and then there’s Travis Hunter,” said first-year GM James Gladstone. “He’s the kind of talent who can change the direction of a franchise or the sport itself.”
Hunter, the most electrifying player in college football, arrives in Jacksonville armed with accolades. In 2024 alone, he was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year, took home the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver and the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defender. All while winning the Heisman. He earned All-American honors in both of his seasons at Colorado.
Originally the No. 1 overall recruit in 2022, Hunter famously committed to Jackson State to play under Deion Sanders, then followed Sanders to Colorado. Over his final season he played an astonishing 1,460 snaps averaging over 110 per game, as a full-time cornerback and wide receiver.
The results were staggering: 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense, plus four interceptions and 11 pass breakups on defense. No one in FBS history has matched that level of production on both ends in the modern era.
Standing 6’0″ and weighing 188 pounds, Hunter isn’t the biggest or fastest player in the draft, but he’s arguably the most versatile and instinctual. He thrives with elite ball-tracking skills, quick-twitch movement and rare spatial awareness. Skills that translate at both receiver and corner.
His route-running can still improve, but he consistently wins in contested situations and brings a relentless competitive edge. The Jaguars plan to let him do what he does best: everything.
On offense Hunter joins a suddenly loaded receiving corps alongside last year’s first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr., deep threat Gabe Davis and free-agent signee Dyami Brown. With quarterback Trevor Lawrence coming off a frustrating 2024 season, new head coach Liam Coen will look to Hunter as a dynamic weapon to spark the passing game.
On defense Hunter could instantly start opposite Tyson Campbell in the Jaguars secondary. Bringing elite instincts, physicality and the kind of swagger that makes opposing quarterbacks hesitate. Jacksonville signed veteran nickel Jourdan Lewis this offseason, but Hunter gives them something they didn’t have: a potential shutdown corner who can take over a game.
Whether he’s locking down receivers or torching corners himself, Hunter gives the Jaguars something they haven’t had in a long time an identity-shifting playmaker.
The big question now: how much will Hunter play on both sides of the ball?
Time will tell. But what’s already clear is that Jacksonville didn’t just draft a corner or a receiver, they drafted a superstar.
