Travis Hunter to change the sport of football itself in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “Along the way, you can count however many drafts you want to, there are players who have the capacity to alter a game. There are players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of a team. There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport itself. Travis, while he has a lot to still earn, in our eyes, has the potential to do just that.”

Those were the words spoken by Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone to describe Travis Hunter after the team selected him second overall in the NFL Draft on Thursday.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

The Jaguars traded a lot of draft capital for the opportunity to draft Hunter, however, a prospect of Hunter’s caliber is a rare occurrence. In some ways, it’s revolutionary. No player like Hunter has existed in the modern era.

During his senior season at Colorado, Hunter played an almost unfathomable 85% of team snaps. That included 87% of offensive snaps and 83% of defensive snaps. He averaged 118 snaps per game.

Photos: Travis Hunter selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 2 in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft

0 of 15

Playing both sides of the ball simply isn’t enough for Hunter; he excelled.

At receiver, Hunter posted the highest career contested catch rate (65.5%) of any first-round pick since at least 2014. It wasn’t just his ball skills either. According to Reel Analytics, Hunter placed in the 91st percentile, averaging 5.9 yards of separation on his routes.

It sounds as though the Jaguars plan to integrate Hunter into the offense first.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

“When it comes to his onboarding process, we’ll give him a heavy dose of offense, and sprinkle in the defensive side of the ball, knowing that by the time we get to the regular season, those should be balanced out. But that’s the initial onboarding plan as it stands today,” Gladstone said.

Hunter is just as good a corner as he is a receiver, collecting four interceptions, seven pass breakups, and boasting an NFL Rating allowed of just 39.9. That’s statistically comparable to a QB spiking the ball into the dirt.

His otherworldly athleticism shows up at cornerback as well. According to Reel, Hunter’s 6.9 ft/s closing speed is the fastest ever recorded in their database of over 8,400 defensive backs. His quickness shows up time and time again.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

There’s more to Hunter than just his play on the field. Hunter is a two-time Academic All-American and appears to check all of the boxes needed to be deemed ‘intangibly rich.’ It wasn’t just the player but the person who drew the interest of the Jaguars.

“He’s a rare person. He’s a rare player. But he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football we built to be challenged. We want him to be nothing more than him – because when he is, he elevates the space around him – from the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself,” Gladstone said of Hunter.

In just a couple months, the Jaguars’ new regime has created a distinct identity, vision, and mission for the organization. Now, Hunter plays a part in that. The Jaguars have a new face in town and his name is Travis Hunter

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.