DENVER (KDVR) — Travis Hunter wasn’t expecting to have a very long night of waiting on Thursday. After a spectacular season for the University of Colorado Boulder, Hunter’s unique two-way play had NFL scouts and general managers lining up to see if they could be the team to acquire his services.
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended up winning the Hunter sweepstakes, drafting him with the No. 2 pick, and looks to have secured a franchise cornerstone piece for years to come. The pick came after the Cleveland Browns traded their first-round, fourth-round and sixth-round picks.
The Heisman Trophy winner’s name has floated at the top of mock draft boards from the beginning of the season to the day of the 2025 NFL Draft. Most projections saw Hunter going anywhere in the top five picks, but the final edition of the official NFL mock draft had Hunter going second overall to the Cleveland Browns.
Picking Hunter would be an incredibly easy decision for most teams, but now a harder decision lies in the hands of the team that drafted him.
What position is Hunter going to play?
While difficult to decide, it is a luxury of a decision to make. Many people are split on what would be the best avenue for Hunter. Certain groups say he should focus on only one position, either cornerback or wide receiver, while others argue that teams should embrace his unique ability to play offensively and defensively.
If the decision was left to Hunter, he has been vocal about 100% playing both positions, something that hasn’t regularly been seen in the NFL since the 1950s and 1960s.
During his two seasons at CU, Hunter played a total of 111.5 snaps per game. Since 2015, no other player has averaged more than 78 snaps per game.
The former No. 1 recruit in the 2022 high school class has proven that not only can he play more frequently, but he can play exceedingly well while doing so.
He was awarded the Biletnikoff Award for best receiver and the Bednarik Award for best defender in the same season.
For his entire college football career in 30 total games with 27 starts, Hunter put up statistics, including:
Cornerback
85 tackles
9 interceptions
26 pass breakups
1 forced fumble
Wide receiver
171 receptions
2,167 yards
24 receiving touchdowns
During CU’s Pro Day, Hunter caught passes from CU teammate Shedeur Sanders. He also did pre-draft interviews with the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, who each owned one of the top two picks in the draft, respectively.
The Jaguars will now have to figure out how to best utilize Hunter’s talent, but that seems like a pretty good problem to have.
