When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded as much as choose two-way star Travis Hunter within the 2025 NFL Draft, there was a severe debate as as to whether or not he might bodily maintain up enjoying either side of the ball within the NFL.
After having his rookie season reduce quick attributable to a season-ending damage, that debate nonetheless rages on. Particularly after the Jaguars made it clear he’s going to focus extra on the defensive aspect of the ball in coaching camp and this season.
However none of that’s stopping Hunter from desirous to by no means depart the sector.
Actually.
Jaguars’ Travis Hunter nonetheless desires to play each snap
Hunter instructed NFL.com’s Judy Battista that he wants to play “all” of the snaps each week, and that he can’t depart the sector.
Hunter was sensational as a large receiver and cornerback at each Jackson State and Colorado throughout his faculty days, in the end successful the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
That made him one of the fascinating, and probably Most worthy, draft prospects in current reminiscence, with the Jaguars paying a steep value to maneuver as much as the No. 2 general decide to pick him.
He tried to play either side of the ball as a rookie with combined outcomes.
He caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a landing on offense, whereas recording 15 tackles on protection earlier than his season got here to an finish midway by.
The plan this season has been to have him focus extra on the defensive aspect of the ball, however he’s nonetheless seeing snaps at each positions all through camp. It looks like a digital certainty that may proceed within the common season. It is only a query of what number of snaps he will get.
It won’t be all of them.
As proficient as Hunter is, and pretty much as good as he could be at each positions, there’s a purpose there have been so few examples of two-way gamers within the fashionable sport, and definitely to not the extent that Hunter is making an attempt to play.
Gamers like Deion Sanders (Hunter’s faculty coach at each Jackson State and Colorado) and Charles Woodson noticed restricted snaps on offense all through their careers, but it surely was by no means fairly on a full-time foundation the way in which Hunter is making an attempt.
There may be additionally a world of distinction between efficiently doing it in faculty versus making an attempt to do it within the NFL each Sunday.
Even when he can play restricted snaps each methods, and play them nicely, it makes him one of the invaluable gamers within the league since you are primarily filling two roster spots with one participant. However he nonetheless has to point out he can try this and maintain up over the course of a full NFL season.
