Travis Hunter is about to make his NFL debut and he’ll do so doing exactly what he wants – playing both side of the ball.
The second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is hoping to make history by becoming the first pure two-way player in the league.
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Travis Hunter is hoping to become the NFL’s first true two-way starCredit: Getty
Listed as a starting wide receiver on the Jaguars’ depth chart, and a back-up cornerback, the indication is that the 22-year-old will see some action on both offense and defense, at least in preseason.
The Jacksonville Jaguars – who traded up to select Hunter – face the Pittsburgh Steelers at EverBank Stadium on Saturday in their first preseason outing, and new head coach Liam Coen has confirmed he see action on offense and defense.
Whether his college game, where he showcased his freakish athleticism on a weekly basis, translates well into the NFL still remains to be seen.
Two men in particular are on the lookout after Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson debated what he needs to show when it comes to an NFL game day.
“Until we get to the regular season, and until he plays both sides of the ball, we’re going to be watching the level at which he plays,” Sharpe said on Nightcap.
“I think you [Ocho] and I, and a lot of people are in agreement that he can play both sides, but what’s the level at which he’s going to play at? Because football is about levels, especially when you’re the number two pick in the draft.
Johnson chimed in and replied: “I like his confidence. The fact that he believes he can do it. That’s where everything starts with in the beginning anyway.
“The belief that I can do something, having the confidence that I can do it, and putting the work in to be able to do it. And then not only does he have the confidence he also has the skill-set, and he has the instincts to be able to pull it off on both sides of the ball.
“Now you get a small sample size of that, and now that you’ve done it in practice. Doing it in practice is one thing, hell you know what is coming half the time…But how are you going to look in the preseason game?
“You’ve got a small sample size, you’re not scheming for anybody…gameday is just different.”
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Sharpe and Ocho are eager to see what ‘level’ Hunter plays at in preseasonCredit: YouTube/ @nightcapshow_
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The Jaguars have listed Hunter as a starting WR, but a backup CBCredit: Getty
Coen, in his first head coaching role, has confirmed that most of the team’s starters, including Hunter, will be suiting up against the Steelers.
Fellow cornerback Jourdan Lewis also spoke of the rookie, stating that his teammate wants to go out on the field and ‘prove people wrong’.
“He wants to prove people wrong,” Lewis said, via Spectrum News 13.
“I feel like that’s the type of mindset you have to have to go and be awesome and a competitor out here. Of course, he has all the skill sets, but I think it’s the mental aspect of it that makes him different.
“He’s going to show you. He’s going to try to do it tenfold and put his best foot forward doing both things, and whatever they ask him to do, he’s going to do it at full speed. Like I said, his mental fortitude for it is unmatched.”
During his college football days at Colorado, where he was teammates with Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders – whose preseason has already got underway with an impressive display – Hunter actually played more snaps on the defensive side of the ball.
Playing 748 snaps on defense, Hunter registered 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and four interceptions.
On offense, he played 713 snaps, in which he totaled 96 catches, 1,258 yards and 16 total touchdowns.
Some NFL stars have publicly spoken out addressing their concerns about the 2024 Heisman winner’s aspirations to become the NFL equivalent of MLB and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
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This includes veteran wide receiver Davante Adams, who argues that doing so requires far too much ‘mileage’ and that the risk for injury heightens exponentially.
Similarly, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, who is entering the twilight of his career, acknowledges’ the Jaguars rookie’s star potential, but just feels like teams all over the league will game plan to ‘make his day miserable.’
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