Travis Hunter is going to be an interesting case study for the National Football League as he attempts to play both wide receiver and cornerback, which he did in college where he won the 2024 Heisman Trophy. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to the second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Hunter and he has showcased his skills on the football field.
It is going to be intriguing to follow how he progresses throughout his NFL career and if he can be a force as people are projecting him to be.
Calvin Johnson Discusses What To Expect out of Travis Hunter in the NFL
While appearing on ‘The Big Podcast‘ with Shaquille O’Neal, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson was a guest and explained how he feels about Hunter’s potential in the NFL as both a wide receiver and cornerback.
“The young man has incredible ball skills, so if he’s playing DB he’s going to make plays on the ball or if he’s playing wide receiver, obviously, he’s going to make plays on the ball. I’m excited to see what he brings to the next level,” he said.
Johnson also discussed how he would play against Hunter as big receivers are going to look to use their weight on him to neutralize his abilities throughout the course of a game.
“Would [his weight] prevent him from getting up on big receivers? To be told, to be told. If I was playing against him, I know that would be something I’d lean into. If I can lean into him, I could push him around. If I lean on him at 240 [pounds] and he’s 185, 188, he’s going to have a long day,” Johnson said.
At the NFL Combine, Hunter weighed 188 pounds. That means if Johnson played against him, he would have had about 50 pounds on Hunter to exhaust him. This does not mean Hunter is going to struggle as he can easily put on more weight as he adapts to the NFL weight room and coaches wanting him to bulk up a bit more to survive hits.
The Jaguars finished last season as they were 18th in the league with a 72.8 Offensive+ grade and 31st in the NFL with a 62.7 Defensive+ grade. Hunter is looking to help on both sides of the football and are going to be a threat in the AFC South as coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone look to make a legitimate contender in their first year as the new regime.