Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Jacksonville Jaguars made a blockbuster trade last year to acquire a versatile talent who could impact both offense and defense.
- But recent strategic shifts now have Hunter exclusively focused on one side of the ball, raising questions about the trade's value.
- This change has sparked debate over whether the assets surrendered for him remain justified given his revised role.
Travis Hunter was never going to have a Shohei Ohtani-type impact in the NFL, but coming into last year's draft he looked like the closest thing to the two-way MLB phenom with his ability to play cornerback and receiver at an elite level. Given Hunter's unique talent, the Jacksonville Jaguars had no problem sending the Cleveland Browns an absolute haul in order to earn the right to draft him.
Unfortunately, just one year into his NFL career, the Jaguars appear ready to admit defeat on the Hunter two-way experiment by having him play cornerback exclusively moving forward. Obviously a promising young starter at a premium position is hardly a bad thing; then again, it's not the singular player Jacksonville sold everyone on at the time of the deal. Which begs the question: Knowing what we do now, would the Jaguars have still made this massive blockbuster in hindsight? Let's dive into the trade regrade.
Why the Travis Hunter trade already looks worse
It's hard to acquire a franchise-level No. 1 cornerback, and there's every reason to believe that Hunter can be that based on what he showed as a rookie. Would the Jaguars have parted with what they did to acquire him if they knew he wouldn't make much of an impact at receiver, though?
I mean, this is an absolute haul. Fellow Browns rookie Carson Schwesinger took a lot of the shine away from Mason Graham, but the latter looks like a cornerstone on the defensive line, while Quinshon Judkins played well when healthy and there's another first-round pick coming in this year's draft. That's a ton for Jacksonville to give up, especially when they only got eight games of Hunter as a two-way player.
If we're being honest, it's one Jacksonville should probably regret.
Travis Hunter trade regrades for Jaguars and Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars trade regrade: C
To be clear, this move has little to do with Hunter's ability as a receiver. In fact, Hunter was more impactful as a wideout in his rookie year, finishing just shy of 300 yards in eight games and playing much more on the offensive side of the ball (67 percent of snaps) than on defense (36 percent of snaps). But he was a more highly regarded prospect at corner, and the Jags want to ensure that he can be a surefire CB1 — especially when, after acquiring Jakobi Meyers and watching Parker Washington emerge, the team did not need Hunter to be used as a receiver to begin with. Why bother with having Hunter as their WR4 when he could focus solely on being the best corner he can be?
Still, it's hard to justify trading all they did for Hunter to only be a cornerback, especially when we have no idea how good he'll even be at the position. If Hunter can develop into a franchise cornerstone on the outside, sure, the deal isn't atrocious. That's a big if, though, and obviously, taking his offensive contributions away greatly caps his upside.
We already know Graham is a budding star, and we know that Judkins has the potential to be the lead back in Cleveland for a while. This doesn't even factor in the future first-round pick. Conversely, Hunter has all sorts of questions, and whether Bhayshul Tuten can replace Travis Etienne remains to be seen.
Cleveland Browns trade regrade: A
The Browns took a risk by trading out of the chance to draft one of the most intriguing prospects in NFL history. There was, and still is, a chance that Hunter is going to be a generational superstar in Jacksonville. Even with this in mind, the consensus was that the Browns were receiving a ridiculous haul for essentially moving back three slots in the first round, and nothing that's happened since has changed that reality.
Again, Graham looks like a future star, Judkins can be very impactful and there's one more first-round pick on the way. That is a lot to acquire, even if Hunter was the best player in the deal. Now, I have doubts that Hunter will even clear that bar, and even if he does, he won't be nearly as impactful as he'd have been had he been used as a two-way force.
The Browns were always more than just Travis Hunter, even at his best potential, away from being competitive. Trading the pick for a haul like this always made sense. How Hunter is being used only makes the deal look even better.
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