![Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) have a laugh while running drills during the seventh organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Monday, June 2, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2025/07/6b87ca88-mixcollage-22-jul-2025-02-20-pm-9506.jpg?format=auto&w=3840&q=75)
Most say that Travis Hunter, whom the Jacksonville Jaguars selected No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after trading up, is a better cornerback than he is a wide receiver. But that doesn’t really matter, because he’s great at both. And the Jags have indicated they’re going to let him spread his wings and play a full allotment of snaps going both ways.
Advertisement
It makes their outlay in the trade—2025 first-rounder, 2025 second-rounder, 2025 fourth-rounder, and 2026 first-rounder for Hunter, a 2025 fourth-rounder, and a 2025 sixth-rounder—a lot more palatable if Hunter is filling two holes on the team rather than one. And that hole he’s filling on offense might be the very last one.
They already have their $50 million quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. They’ve also got two solid young backs in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. Tight end Brenton Strange looked exciting last year. And Brian Thomas Jr. was possibly the best surprise to come out of the 2024 draft.
Throw in Hunter and have it all mixed up by new head coach Liam Coen, who comes from an offensive background, and you’ve got something special. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski has loved the early returns on Hunter, especially.
“[Hunter] has been an injection of energy into, not just the offense, but I think the team. What you see on TV of him dancing around, or bringing the juice and all that energy to practice. That is genuine. That’s the real deal right there,” Udinski told Ari Meirov.
“So, he’s a lot of fun to be around, not only because he brings that energy but because he’s a football guy. In the sense that, he loves football, wants to be great, willing to work, wants to talk about things, wants to go over things. And … can run all day.”
Udinski went on to talk about how he’s not only “excited” to figure out ways to best use Hunter, but also how he can use him alongside Thomas, who was a bonafide stud as a rookie. If Hunter can handle the rigors of both ways, this could become one of the best WR duos in the league in short order.
“There’s a lot of similarities between the guys, and there’s a lot of ways those guys are different. But, once again, I think the same excitement that I have for Travis, I have very similar feelings towards BT… I think what we can do with him in this offense, and what he can continue to do if he continues to work and improve, we’re only scratching the surface of his potential in that regard.”
Thomas was actually the fifth receiver (if you include TE Brock Bowers) to be drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Jags took him No. 23 overall without much fanfare, but he showed out in his first year, despite playing on one of the most underachieving units in football.
His 87 receptions ranked third among rookies behind Bowers and No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers, but his 1,282 yards and 10 TDs both paced all rookies in the league last year. If he can continue that upward trajectory while guiding Hunter to a similarly productive rookie season, Trevor Lawrence will simply have to turn this team into a playoff contender.
