Travis Hunter’s rookie season in the NFL didn’t go exactly as hoped for the Heisman Trophy winner after his two-way career at Colorado.
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to take Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick, and they tried to figure out how much to use him at wide receiver versus how much to use him at cornerback.
They never quite nailed it down before Hunter sustained a season-ending injury.
Now, he’s back for his second season, and it sounds like Hunter will have a more clearly defined role. It just might not be exactly what Jags fans want to hear.
What Position Will Travis Hunter Play?
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote in a new article on Wednesday that he’d expect Hunter to most resemble a full-time cornerback in the 2026 NFL season.
“The Jaguars still believe Hunter can contribute on offense in addition to defense, and he sort of has to in order to justify the move they made to get him in the 2025 draft,” Graziano writes. “But Hunter is coming off a major knee injury, and the team will be cautious about his overall workload this season. He has worked a lot more at corner than wide receiver this offseason, mainly because corner is where the Jaguars have more of a need. Last year, they believed they were thinner in the wide receivers room, and Hunter got more work on offense during camp.”
Graziano went on to break down how Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers join Brian Thomas Jr. to give the Jaguars a strong WR depth chart.
“With Parker Washington having emerged and the team having traded for and signed Jakobi Meyers, the receivers room has a lot of capable bodies all of a sudden,” Graziano writes. “Jags coach Liam Coen has cautioned against assuming Hunter will play only defense this season. It’s certainly to Jacksonville’s benefit for opponents to at least wonder if they’ll see him on offense. But the prediction here is that, while Hunter might evolve into more of a two-way NFL player in future years, Jacksonville will try to keep things simple for him as he works his way back from last year’s season-ending injury.”
What Is Travis Hunter Better At?
There were many who believed Hunter would be better-suited as an NFL corner, if he had to pick one.
As a rookie, he made 15 tackles and had three passes defensed in his seven games played. He was targeted 18 times at corner and allowed nine completions for 106 yards. None of those grabs ended up as touchdowns.
On offense, Hunter was targeted 45 times in seven games. He caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. He also had a rush that went for no gain.
It’s likely easier for Hunter to play corner full-time and sprinkle in on offense, rather than the opposite. If it works well this season, it could influence Jacksonville to continue with such a routine moving forward for Hunter, too.
Jaguars’ Plans for Travis Hunter Revealed by ESPN Insider