When the Jaguars traded up from the fifth pick to the second pick in the 2025 NFL draft, giving up their 2026 first-round pick in the process, they were expecting Travis Hunter to be an impact player on both sides of the ball. Early in his rookie year, he’s not an impact player on either side of the ball.
Hunter is playing mostly on offense, being on the field for 59 percent of the Jaguars’ offensive snaps. But he has just 13 catches for 118 yards with no touchdowns and only three first downs through four games.
On defense, Hunter is doing even less, playing just 39 percent of snaps with no interceptions or other significant impact plays.
On Sunday against the 49ers, Hunter wasn’t a starter on either side of the ball. He did make his best offensive play of the season, a 28-yard catch, but he also had a fumble after one of his catches, and on defense he was very limited, getting on the field for just nine snaps in the first half and getting benched on defense in the second half.
The Jaguars justified trading up for Hunter by saying they expected him to be like two players in one, a good wide receiver and a good cornerback. Right now he doesn’t look like either.
