The Travis Hunter Gamble: Breaking Down the Jacksonville Jaguars’ NFL Draft Grades

After making the postseason and winning a postseason game in 2022, the Jaguars have taken multiple steps back, collapsing after an 8-3 start in 2023 and going 4-13 during a disastrous 2024 campaign.

Trevor Lawrence should be back and healthy for 2025, but what else can the Jaguars help him with in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Looking for all 32 teams’ draft grades? Head to our 2025 NFL Draft Grades for All 32 Teams Tracker to see how we’ve graded other drafts.

Overall Jaguars Draft Grade: B+

The Travis Hunter gamble is one that will define James Gladstone’s tenure as GM. If the Jaguars flop again in 2025 and hand over a top-five pick to the Cleveland Browns, it will go down as another lesson about the dangers of trading up for a non-quarterback.

However, Hunter was among the few blue-chip talents in a draft that lacked consensus game-changing talent. His once-in-a-generation skill set could solve two of the biggest holes on the Jaguars’ roster, while also giving the franchise a level of public interest and exposure that’s harder to quantify but absolutely matters to owners.

Liam Coen said that Hunter will primarily focus on offense to start, giving Trevor Lawrence an incredible one-two punch with Brian Thomas Jr. and Hunter. Given that the Jaguars were nearly a league-average offense by Offense+ despite myriad injuries in 2024, Jacksonville may be back in the top 10 this season.

The rest of the draft was less flashy but effective. Wyatt Milum could start at guard right away (he’ll likely have a camp competition against Ezra Cleveland), while Caleb Ransaw might turn into a developmental nickel behind free agent signing Jourdan Lewis. Day 3 running back Bhayshul Tuten is an intriguing athlete who crushed the Combine.

His arrival raises more questions about Travis Etienne’s future in Jacksonville, as the former first-rounder is entering the last year of his rookie contract. Etienne has been a popular trade target in offseason rumors, and now the Jags potentially have a playable duo without him in Tuten and Tank Bigsby.

Make no mistake, though, this grade is largely a reflection of Hunter’s promise as an incredibly unique weapon. If he hits, Gladstone and the Jags will be praised for doing what it took to improve Lawrence’s supporting cast and get his career back on track. If Hunter disappoints, then Jacksonville paid a premium for a No. 2 receiver and set its franchise even further back.

Grades for Every Jaguars Draft Pick

• Round 1, Pick 2
  Travis Hunter, WR/CB | Colorado
  Grade: A-

The Jaguars wasted no time engineering the 2025 NFL Draft’s first blockbuster, trading the fifth overall pick, second-rounder, fourth-rounder, and 2026 first-round pick to earn the rights to Colorado two-way unicorn Travis Hunter. It’s an incredibly steep price, and one that drives down the value slightly, but Travis Hunter is a player who could be worth the cost.

Playmakers like Hunter simply don’t come around often. On PFSN’s board, he’s one of just two bona fide blue-chip prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. As a wide receiver, he can carve through coverage looks with his explosion, bend, agility, and spatial IQ, generate RAC, and make high-flying grabs. On defense, he’s a generational turnover threat.

The Jaguars spent a lot to get here, but having two third-round picks makes it easier to stomach. Liam Coen likely has a vision for Hunter on both sides of the ball, and they’ll need to iron that plan out, but he’s an instant impact with All-Pro upside.

• Round 3, Pick 88
  Caleb Ransaw, CB | Tulane
  Grade: B-

Round 3 has featured a surprising run on cornerbacks, and that run continues with Tulane’s Caleb Ransaw. Ransaw was a sleeper CB many pinpointed as an ideal Day 3 target, but the Jaguars scooped him up before any other team had a chance to lay claim to his talents.

Ransaw is a bit undersized, but at his size, he’s a supercharged athlete with lightning-quick twitch and 4.33 speed – a trait that shows up both in vertical trail and when attacking downhill from the nickel spot.

The Jaguars already signed Jourdan Lewis as a prospective nickel DB in the short-term, so they’ll have to figure out how to mix and match these pieces, but Ransaw could be a small-school gem with his athletic makeup and maniacal two-phase aggression.

• Round 3, Pick 89
  Wyatt Milum, OG | West Virginia
  Grade: A

One of the higher floor prospects in this draft, West Virginia tackle Wyatt Milum will kick inside to guard due to a lack of arm length. However, his pass protection skills are already very polished, as his hand placement, high football IQ, and play strength give him the tools to succeed inside.

The Jaguars signed Patrick Mekari to start at one of their guard spots, but the other current projected starter is Ezra Cleveland. Considering that Cleveland has been a replacement-level player for much of his career, Milum should have a strong chance to play right away.

• Round 4, Pick 104
  Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
  Grade: A-

One of the top Combine standouts, Bhayshul Tuten is an intriguing dynamic running back. Tuten comes with home run speed after running an obscene 4.32 40-yard dash at the Combine while weighing 206 pounds. Tuten ran for 1,159 yards this past season for the Hokies, showing he belongs at a Power Four school after transferring from North Carolina A&T.

Travis Etienne is in the final year of his contract and has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason. Whether or not the Jags move on from Etienne, Tuten gives them another option in the backfield to potentially pair with Tank Bigsby down the road.

• Round 4, Pick 107
  Jack Kiser, LB | Notre Dame
  Grade: B-

The Jaguars needed a little linebacker depth, and added it early on Day 3 with Jack Kiser. The Notre Dame product played six years at South Bend, but wasn’t a full-time starter until this past season.

Kiser has good size at 6’1” and 231 pounds, and covers a good amount of ground for someone his size. He’s inconsistent in play identification and will bite on play-action fakes, but possesses the trait to contribute in coverage. That makes him a solid upside play at this stage of the draft, even given that he’ll be 25 as a rookie.

• Round 6, Pick 194
  Jalen McLeod, LB | Auburn
  Grade: C+
• Round 6, Pick 200
  Rayuan Lane III, S | Navy
  Grade: C
• Round 7, Pick 221
  Jonah Monheim, OL | USC
  Grade: B+
• Round 7, Pick 236
  LeQuint Allen, RB, Syracuse
  Grade: A