Jacksonville, Fla. – After spending two days working solely at receiver during Jacksonville’s rookie minicamp, two-way star Travis Hunter will move to the other side of the ball next week.
Coach Liam Coen said Saturday that Hunter will start getting repetitions on defense when the team reconvenes for offseason conditioning. It should set the stage for Hunter’s expansive role during organized team activities.
“He’ll be able to get integrated next week on the defensive side of the ball,” Coen said. “He’ll start to roll on defense.”
He’s already rolling on offense. Hunter caught nearly every ball thrown his way over two days alongside fellow rookies. And the few routes or results that didn’t go his way? Well, Hunter went right back to the front of the line for a re-do.
“The organization expects a lot out of me,” Hunter said. “They expect me to come out here and play right away. I’m going to do whatever it takes for me to play right away.”
The Jaguars traded up three spots, giving up a second-round pick, a first-rounder next year and more to make it happen, to select Hunter with the second overall pick in the NFL draft last month. He gives the franchise more star power than its had in decades – maybe ever.
Fans packed a small pro shop outside the practice field and waited in deep lines to buy his No. 12 jersey. The Heisman Trophy winner has his own YouTube channel, lights up rooms with his smile and elevates the play of everyone around him. He did it in high school in Georgia and did it again in college at Jackson State and at Colorado.
The Jaguars anticipate the trend continuing despite Hunter’s 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. He caught Coen’s eye during practice Friday when Hunter’s cleat slipped off during a route, and he didn’t slow down or get sidetracked one bit.
“Made a great catch,” Coen said. “It’s more just his presence and the energy he does provide both in the classroom, in the meeting rooms and also out here on the field.”
Hunter became the first person in his immediate family to walk in a graduation ceremony when he took the stage at Colorado on Thursday while wearing Jaguars pajama pants.
“That’s the first thing I ordered off of Amazon when I got drafted,” Hunter said.
He donned his Jaguars jersey for the first time the following day. This one was teal. At some point soon, he’s expected to be swapping between teal and white during the same practice. Or, as Hunter suggested, maybe get his own color. No one would be surprised considering he’s that unique.
Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns last season at Colorado and notched 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups, eight forced incompletions and four interceptions while allowing just one touchdown.
The Jaguars intend to use him in a similar role this fall, planning to have him working as a slot receiver on offense and as a cornerback in certain packages on defense. It’s familiar territory for someone who played more snaps (1,461) than anyone else in college football in 2024.
Hunter already has taken a leadership role among the rookies and hopes to do the same with the rest of his teammates. It could help that he has two former Colorado guys around him, defensive lineman B.J. Green II and safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig.
Silmon-Craig and Hunter first played together at Jackson State in 2022 and have been teammates since.
“It feels like a family here,” Silmon-Craig said. “It’s a new everything around here. We’re just trying to change the culture here and build a culture. Why not get a couple Colorado guys?”
Shilo Sanders makes big first impression
Shilo Sanders walked into his first news conference with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and immediately shook hands with each reporter.
Coach Prime’s son knows how to make a first impression on and off the field.
Like his dad, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, Shilo displayed his engaging personality and commanded the interview room. He asked for beach recommendations and revealed that he plans to be the “snack guy” for the team’s safety group.
“Man, look at where we’re at,” Sanders said with a big smile. “Look at the whole coaching staff. It’s a really supportive coaching staff. Everybody wants to see everybody do good. Everybody on the team, we all want to see each other win. It’s a great environment to thrive in.”
Sanders, who signed with the Buccaneers after being passed up in the draft, impressed coach Todd Bowles on the first day of rookie camp with his intelligence.
“Like the rest of the safeties, he’s very intelligent, he’s very loud,” Bowles said. “You can hear him (on the field), making calls and everything, so he has a good grasp of things Day 1. There was about three or four of them that did. He was one of them, but you have to make plays in pads. That’s what it comes down to – knowing what to do and then doing it consistently and constantly getting better every day.”
The 25-year-old Sanders even helped younger teammates with some of the defensive calls.
“He’s very smart,” rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish said. “He helped me a lot with the adjustments. I’m excited to work with him.”
While younger brother, Shedeur Sanders, drew most of the attention during the draft after slipping to Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, Shilo didn’t get a call until hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus.
“They gave me a chance before anyone so I’m forever grateful to the Buccaneers and I’m just gonna do everything in my power to help this team win,” Sanders said. “That’s all I want.”
Ward No. 1 in Tennessee?
The Tennessee Titans have made clear they aren’t ready to name a starter at quarterback despite taking Cam Ward out of Miami with the No. 1 overall draft pick. Ward has given them a glimpse at rookie minicamp at how quickly he might challenge for the job.
The Titans handed Ward the playbook as soon as he was drafted, then held several Zoom calls with him before his arrival for rookie minicamp, which had its lone open session for reporters Saturday.
“He got a little bit of a head start, and that’ll be beneficial for him,” coach Brian Callahan said of Ward. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about what you do when you get out here and how quickly you can pick it up.”
The Titans drafted Ward to be the franchise quarterback after a third straight losing season landed them the No. 1 overall pick. The franchise has made clear the rookie will have to win the job competing in training camp and the preseason.
His competition features Will Levis, the 33rd overall pick in 2023 who is going into his third season and third in Callahan’s offense. The Titans also have veteran backup quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle on the roster.
For Ward, competing and proving himself has always been a part of his game, working himself from getting no stars as a recruit out of high school to a starter in college first at Incarnate Word, then Washington State and finally Miami.
The rookie made clear he sees the NFL as being another opportunity to prove himself. Ward said he embraces competition with himself, other quarterbacks and wide receivers.
“Anything we do, we compete,” Ward said. “It really don’t bother me. At the end of the day, it’s a job. That’s how you’ve got to approach it. You’ve got to get your work in early in the morning, late at night. It’s every day for me. I do the same stuff and try to get better.”
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