Scouting Report: Intro to New Jags WR/CB Travis Hunter
- James Johnson
- 27 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked the football community when they traded up in the 2025 NFL Draft for Colorado receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, giving them who most believed was the best player in the draft. And while it was a shock to some, the signs were absolutely there as new general manager James Gladstone told fans that the organization would be bold under his leadership.
The addition of Hunter was widely praised by analysts despite the Jags giving up a first round pick in 2026 and more. That's because they got one of three blue chip prospects in a draft that wasn't deep, and they acquired a player with athletic traits that haven't been seen for a while.
Hunter has been an elite football player for quite some time, dating back to when he agreed to go to Jackson State University in 2022 when he was widely ranked as the nation's top recruit. During his time with the Tigers, he only registered 18 catches for 190 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded 19 tackles, eight pass breakups, and two picks.
Over the next two seasons, Hunter’s stats improved drastically as he earned more play time. Not only did they improve, but they did so as the former No. 1 overall recruit took a leap to the Division I level as he followed Deion Sanders to Colorado. During his first season there, he accumulated 57 catches for 721 yards and five touchdowns, while garnering 30 tackles and three picks on defense. He was named a 2023 Consensus All-American, a second-teamer on the All-PAC-12 team, and won the Paul Hornung Award, which recognizes the most versatile players in collegiate football.
Of course, the 2024 season was Hunter’s most impressive as he started in 13-of-13 games with the Buffaloes. He recorded just under 100 catches (96) for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns through 539 offensive snaps. On the defensive side, he accumulated 35 tackles and four interceptions over the span of 776 snaps. He would go on to win the Heisman Trophy, making him the second defensive player to do so alongside Charles Woodson. He also made history by becoming the first player to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the best defensive player and wide receiver, respectively, in the NCAA.
How would Hunter's addition impact the Jags?
Hunter was uniquely perfect for the Jags because they needed help both at the receiver position and the cornerback position. On offense, they clearly have their No. 1 receiver in Brian Thomas Jr., but it was clear they needed to find their No. 2 to work alongside him. Thomas led the way with 817 catches for 1,282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. After him was tight end Brenton Strange with 411 yards, marking a big descrepency. That said, it's safe to say Hunter could be that and more, although he is far from a finished product.
Defensively, the Jags' secondary clearly needed drastic changes. Their cornerback group didn't have a player with significant reps to register a grade of 70 or higher, according to Pro Football Focus. The closest to hit the mark was Jarrian Jones (69.0), who showed a lot of promise as a rookie. Veteran Tyson Campbell also should be able to get on track, while free agent Jourdan Lewis will be a shot in the arm, but behind the aformentioned names, help was needed. Hunter earned a grade of 88.2 at the cornerback position, which was the seventh-highest collegiate grade in the country amongst cornerbacks with 700 snaps or more. Needless, to say, this is significant news for the Jags' secondary.
It sounds like the plan is to have him be an offensive player primarily, while having him play on defense on third-down situations. Maybe over time those plans will be altered, but if the Jags follow through with them, they've made a rare addition that could drastically improve their offense and defense. They got their franchise quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, a new weapon, and they landed the draft's CB1 to help their struggling secondary.
Strengths/Pros
Has highly impressive ball tracking skills as a WR and CB
Made acrobatic plays often from both positions
Deceptive defender
Has explosive play ability after the catch thanks to elusiveness
Conditioning was elite as a two-way player
High IQ player
His closing speed is impressive
Weaknesses/Cons
Regardless of what position he plays, he'll need to add some mass to his frame
As a receiver, he'll need to work on sinking and selling routes better
Injury concerns
His route tree was limited in a lot of games, posing a question of how he’d adapt to a full one
While he’s good after the catch when untouched or barely touched, his tackle breaking ability afterward leaves something to be desired
He had moments where he’d disengage with a defender late to make a tackle, possibly due to relying on athleticism too much at times
Occasionally gets handsy down the field in coverage
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