The Jacksonville Jaguars made their first big splash of the new regime -- and it wasn't into the pool at EverBank Stadium.
The Jags moved up to No. 2 overall in a trade with the Cleveland Browns to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter on Thursday night.
Jacksonville shipped the 2025 No. 5 overall pick, the 36th pick (second round), the 126th pick (fourth round) and a 2026 first-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for the second pick in the draft, the 104th pick (fourth round) and 200th pick (sixth round). The Browns went on to use the No. 5 selection to draft Michigan standout defensive tackle Mason Graham.
The deal marked the first trade involving a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The dual-threat Hunter brings big-play ability on both sides of the ball. It's a massive move for first-year general manager James Gladstone, giving new head coach Liam Coen the crown jewel of the 2025 NFL Draft. Hunter is the rarest of rare NFL players, a unique talent who immediately boosts the Jags offense and defense.
The Jags made a massive move for a unicorn.
One of college football's best players on both sides of the ball, Hunter enters the NFL from Colorado lugging a trophy case filled to the brim with hardware. An All-American in both seasons with the Buffaloes, Hunter is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, took home the Walter Camp Player of the Year award in 2024, the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best wide receiver and the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defender.
"There are players who have the capacity to alter a game," Galdstone said Thursday night of Hunter, per ESPN.com. "There are players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of a team. There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport itself."
Hunter originally joined head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State as the country's No. 1 recruit in 2022 -- the first five-star football player to sign with an FCS program in 20 years. Hunter then followed the Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback to Colorado in 2023, where, alongside Sanders' son Shedeur, he flourished on the Big 12 stage.
The dual-threat played a whopping 1,460 snaps last season, an average of 111.5 per game, as a full-time WR and CB. No one else has averaged over 78 snaps per game in the past decade, per NFL Research. Playing corner, Hunter collected a career-best four interceptions and 11 passes defensed in 2024. On offense, he had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, all of which ranked top five in the FBS.
He departed Colorado as the only FBS player since 2000 with 10-plus TD catches and five-plus interceptions in a career.
The question has long been whether he can play both positions at the next level, to which Hunter's answer during the draft process was an unflinching and definitive "yes."
At 6-foot, 188 pounds, Hunter has a slight frame and lacks top-end speed, but those are nitpicky issues with a generational talent. Hunter owns otherworldly ball skills, a quick first step and an ability to high-point catches that should help him at wideout as he fine-tunes his route-running. He also has the range and instincts to be an effective ballhawk, whether in man or zone, as a cornerback.
Regardless of how the Jags plan to deploy Hunter, he fills a need.
On offense, Hunter pairs well with 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr., as a mismatch with sticky hands who knows how to position himself to beat corners and owns ability after the catch. With Thomas, Hunter, free-agent addition Dyami Brown and vertical threat Gabe Davis, Trevor Lawrence has a diverse array of pass catchers to utilize. After struggling through injuries and inconsistent play in 2024, Lawrence has the weapons to bounce back under Coen.
On defense, Hunter adds a sorely needed playmaker to the Jacksonville secondary. The Jags added nickel Jourdan Lewis in free agency, but Hunter owns the ability to remake the secondary opposite Tyson Campbell. The rookie's ball skills and physical play will transition well to the NFL. He has the tools to be a lockdown corner from Day 1.
The question for Gladstone and Coen is how much they plan to deploy Hunter on each side of the ball. Regardless of how they answer that question, the Jags scooped up the CB1 and WR1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
