The Jacksonville Jaguars took the biggest swing of the 2025 NFL draft, trading up with the Cleveland Browns to select two-way Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter. Liam Coen joined the Pat McAfee show on Thursday to discuss how the move came about.
The Jacksonville Jaguars Made It Happen for Hunter
Newly appointed GM of the Jaguars, James Gladstone, approached both Coen and franchise legend Tony Boselli (who is now the VP of football operations) about a potential trade for Hunter.
The Jags were ranked fifth in the draft and knew they’d need to move up to land the prospect. In the latest episode of ‘The Hunt,’ posted on the Jaguars’ YouTube channel, Gladstone said the deal had been in the works for weeks, building up to the draft.
He and Andrew Berry had been discussing a potential trade and had all the framework for it mapped out long before the draft started. Then, on the night, they made the call and executed the deal.
Jacksonville sent their number five pick, second-round pick, fourth-round pick, and their first-rounder from the 2026 NFL draft in exchange for the Browns’ second overall selection and a fourth and a sixth in return.
It was a bold move to make, but Gladstone talked a lot about acting in the face of fear during the episode.
On the Pat McAfee show, Coen spoke further about how the trade came about within the building:
“I think about a month before the draft, we started having some conversations. James came into my office with Tony and I sitting in here and said, ‘What would you guys think if we could go and make this thing happen?'”
He continued by saying:
“When you go through the evaluation of Travis on both sides of the ball and you say, yeah, I would take him as a DB and I would take him as a receiver.” He later said, “he (Travis) feels like he can do some phenomenal things in this league on both sides of the ball, which we appreciate, and we want to give him that platform.”
“About a month prior to the draft, we started having some serious conversations about Travis Hunter..
It all came down to getting a player that can do some phenomenal things in this league..
He’s such a hard worker and he truly loves the game” ~ @LiamCoen #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/uc4fUksTxx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 12, 2025
Coen did a stellar job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense in 2024, helping Baker Mayfield to a career year. Now in Jacksonville, he’ll be hoping to do the same for Trevor Lawrence, who has so far struggled to find stability with the offensive coaching since arriving as the number one pick in 2021.
Jacksonville’s New-Look Offense in 2025
The Jaguars landed Hunter with the second overall pick in 2025 and will now pair him with their 2024 first-rounder, Brian Thomas Jr., who had a sensational rookie season.
Thomas was the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 draft and recorded 1,282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie year. He had three 100+ yard receiving games in the final four weeks of the season, despite Mac Jones starting in place of the injured Lawrence.
Coen likes to incorporate a strong run game and plenty of play action. His presence in Jacksonville should make them an intriguing offense to watch, and Hunter is always capable of making an elite-level play on either side of the ball.
