We live in a world of quick conclusions.
Hot takes come fast and furious. Athletes are written off quickly. If someone doesn’t deliver on their potential, they’re a bust, without a second thought.
Travis Hunter doesn’t fit that box. The former Heisman Trophy winner, who the Jacksonville Jaguars picked No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, doesn’t fit the box of reaching a quick conclusion.
Many feel like they already know the scoop, of course. Haters will say that he’s not going to be able to pull off his two-way magic in the NFL.
Some will think they saw a less-than-ready receiver as a rookie. Others will question his cornerback play.
The reality, of course, is that Hunter missed a bunch of the season with injury, and even before that, he’d been trying to figure out how his immense role could possibly fit in the NFL, as the Jaguars tried to figure out exactly the same thing alongside him.
That all sets up one of the most compelling 2026 seasons in the NFL. Will Hunter sink or swim? And will he do it at one spot or two?
That’s why ESPN’s Ben Solak, in a new article on Friday, named Hunter the “X-Factor” for the Jaguars’ season. What Hunter does will go a long way toward determining the Jags’ ceiling.
The Travis Hunter Dilemma
Solak spends most of his blurb essentially emphasizing that he doesn’t quite know what to make of Hunter yet.
“I’m going to call Hunter an X factor until I feel confident in what he is — and isn’t — capable of,” Solak writes. “I’m not close yet on either side of the ball. I thought Hunter was a better defensive back than wide receiver coming out of Colorado, but Hunter had only 154 snaps on defense before an injury to the LCL in his right knee last season — not nearly enough to evaluate him. And, given his hybrid training camps, it was reasonable to expect him to be slow out of the gate.”
That approach is so contrary to the need to be first to conclude everything. Solak is stressing patience.
Travis Hunter at Cornerback
If Hunter plays mostly cornerback this season, which is how it breaks down in the early going, he could be very good.
If he can only play one spot for a majority of snaps, corner makes more sense from a rhythm standpoint.
“It looks now that Hunter will spend far more time on defense, where the Jaguars are deep (Montaric Brown, Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones) but lack a true CB1,” Solak writes. “If Hunter, who would have been the highest-drafted cornerback in NFL history if he were just a regular corner, can settle into that role, the Jaguars will have two cornerstone pieces at edge rusher (Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker) and another at corner — the premium positions. Hunter is particularly interesting as an X factor corner because he can play the ball and generate turnovers. I think he will risk some feast-or-famine play that might need smoothing over in the years to come, but in a zone-heavy approach under coordinator Anthony Campanile, it’s reasonable to expect him to quickly be among the league’s best in anticipating combinations and jumping routes.”
Travis Hunter at Receiver
The Jags are deeper at wideout, but Hunter could still see time there, too.
“With Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. still in hand on offense, Hunter’s impact on the other side of the ball might be minimal,” Solak writes. “But consider how big of an X factor he’ll be if one of the three is lost because of a big injury, and suddenly a first-round talent is coming off the bench to fill some of the snaps. It’s all still theoretical, but Hunter’s potential impact is sky-high.”
Fans, and fantasy football players, would likely enjoy more seeing Hunter catch touchdowns on offense. It’s harder to know the full impact of a good corner, but a good receiver is clear and obvious.
Whether Hunter gets much chance at WR in 2026 remains to be seen, but it’s clear his overall impact will be pivotal in Jacksonville, no matter what it looks like.
ESPN Explains Jaguars Dilemma With Travis Hunter