The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up in the NFL Draft to get Travis Hunter, an elite, two-way prospect who won the Heisman this past college football season. They can’t wait to unleash his unique talent and the NFL is giving them a solid chance to see what Hunter can be as both an offensive and defensive player.
According to John Oesher of Jaguars.com, Hunter will play primarily on offense and have a handful of packages he will play in on defense. Thanks to the NFL gifting the Jags with a Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers and then a Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville will get a good barometer for what Hunter can contribute.
NFL schedule makers bless Jacksonville Jaguars with cupcake start to season to aid Travis Hunter’s unique skill
The Jaguars have to take advantage of an easy start to the season. They can use the first two games to experiment where and how they can get the most out of Hunter. It will be a learning curve for everybody.
With Carolina and Cincinnati, the leaked first two games for the Jags, both defenses aren’t great. That will give Hunter a chance to shine on offense. The Panthers offense isn’t really good either, meaning he’ll get a chance to get some extended time on defense if necessary. That will give Jacksonville not only a chance to see what he looks like, but also figure out what scenarios to throw him into.
Jacksonville made it clear they want to run Hunter on both sides of the ball, which would make him the first NFL player in 30 years to play full-time on both sides of the ball. The first two games of the season are a perfect way to see just how efficient he can be.
Teams will have to learn how to match up against Hunter on both sides of the ball and the Jags will have to see where he best fits. I think the first two games, if nothing more, is a chance for Jacksonville to see how Hunter’s conditioning is playing both sides of the ball in an NFL game.
It’s one thing doing it in college — in the Big 12 at that — it’s another going up against world-class athletes. The Panthers aren’t a threat and the Bengals have a major flaw on defense that could open up Hunter if Trevor Lawrence can get him the ball.
The NFL hasn’t seen a player like Hunter probably ever. But until he starts taking snaps and we can see what he truly looks like as a two-way football player, it’s all a vision of what he could be. The Jags have to use the first two games to see what Hunter can be. If they don’t capitalize on that, it could mean the Jags have no idea what they’re doing with an elite talent.