Travis Hunter is the most intriguing rookie in this NFL season. He is a unicorn that can play both cornerback and wide receiver at an exceptional high level that could turn the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ fortunes around. However, he is not a finished product. For him to become a top-tier weapon for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, he knows he needs to get better in one specific area.
Hunter’s plan is to play both positions, but entering training camp, head coach Liam Coen is making the Colorado alumn stay on one side of the ball per practice session. However, soon enough he’ll be practicing both sides. To face that challenge, Hunter knowswhat he has to do.
“I need to be able to process everything fast, quick,” Hunter said Friday to ESPN. “When I’m on the defensive side, if the offense changes their strength, I’ve got to know what I’m doing right away. And if the offense changes the play, I got to know what I’m doing right away. So I like that we’re starting off slow, getting me adjusted, making sure I know where I need to be on one side of the ball each day and then it [will] all come together.”
Lawrence knows a thing or two in adjusting to NFL life
Hunter is trying to live up to the hype he created during his college days. His quarterback knows that being a collegiate superstar won’t translate to the NFL just because. Lawrence profiled as the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck by many scouts. After 4 years in the league, Lawrence experienced more downs than ups.
His rookie season was not great, as he led the NFL in interceptions with 17 to only 12 touchdowns. However, it needs to be mentioned that the 2021 season was a messy situation. Urban Meyer didn’t know how to coach the team.
Doug Pederson arrived in 2022 and Lawrence had the best year of his NFL career and made the Pro Bowl. However, 2023 and 2024 were again bad years by Lawrence. He has a career record of 22-38. However, with Hunter now on the team, as well as Liam Coen’s arrival as head coach, new light has been shed upon Lawrence’s career.
The Jaguars have exciting weapons for 2025
Brian Thomas Jr. was stellar as a rookie and enters his second year as a bonafide star. Of course, Jacksonville wants to see Travis Hunter replicate some of that this year. The team also signed Dyami Brown, an underrated receiver with plenty of potential.
Even better, they are cheap. Hunter and Thomas are under rookie contracts and Brown is earning a mere $10 million. This means the Jaguars have two-to-three years of cheap contracts for incredibly talented players. They must take advantage of it as they prepare to challenge the AFC landscape.