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 will be intriguing to see how the Jaguars use his two-way skillset, and the first indication of their approach could come at the minicamp next week.
Jaguars’ Approach To Travis Hunter’s Two-Way Skillset Named Biggest Storyline Ahead of Minicamp
The Jaguars finished last season 18th in the league with a 72.8 Offensive+ grade and 31st in the NFL with a 62.7 Defensive+ grade. Hunter has made it clear that he intends to help on both sides of the football, but how the Jaguars plan to use him remains to be seen.
However, with the minicamp less than a week away, it won’t be long before we get a glimpse of the Jaguars’ approach. PFSN’s Jacob Infante named it the biggest storyline to watch out for at the Jaguars’ minicamp.
“Travis Hunter is a rare two-way player, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have the unique challenge ahead of figuring out how to use him,” Infante wrote.
“Hunter starred at both cornerback and wide receiver in his Heisman-winning season at Colorado in 2024,” he added. “Minicamp will start to reveal how Jacksonville plans to split his reps, and whether he’ll contribute more on offense or defense.”
Hunter is currently listed as Jacksonville’s starting slot receiver and as a backup outside cornerback. He’ll likely not begin the season starting both ways, but it’s hard to imagine that the Jaguars won’t be able to create packages for him to play both ways in each game.
Travis Hunter might already have the BEST ball skills of any player in the NFL.
One NFL scout reportedly believes Hunter is the type of player that could “legitimately” come away with both OROY and DROY awards at the end of the season.
Hunter has reportedly looked “much better”… pic.twitter.com/TLQJisZb01
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) June 3, 2025
Earlier, the Jaguars’ new head coach, Liam Coen, claimed that the plan was to integrate Hunter into the offense first and then gradually introduce him on defense. When asked whether he was already practicing with both offense and defense, Coen gave a little insight into their approach for Hunter at the minicamp and beyond.
“We won’t put him in that situation, to have him do that. Although I’m sure he’d probably want to, yeah, I’m sure. But at the end of the day, he’s trying to, he still meets defensively every day that he’s on offense. So he’s getting the mental part of it and being able to catch up on some of the communication, some of the corrections off the film, from the defensive side of the ball,” Cohen said.
The Jaguars will open the season at home against the Carolina Panthers, and fans are expected to show up in force to see a player who, beyond being charismatic and fully committed since day one, brings a renewed sense of hope to the franchise.