The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't hesitate to move up from No. 5 to No. 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Travis Hunter because they were certain that he was a sport-altering talent and had the potential to change the way football is played. Two weeks into his sophomore campaign, the former Heisman Trophy winner has yet to have that kind of impact. Quite the opposite.
Hunter is part of a rotation at cornerback and has barely played receiver in 2026. Granted, he's coming back from a serious knee injury, and players' readiness is always variable coming out of the draft. On top of that, No. 12 had to learn not one but two positions coming into the NFL.
When you add it all up, it's somewhat easy to understand why he's yet to live up to expectations. The Jags seem to realized that, and based on comments vice president of football operations Tony Boselli made, it looks like they're adjusting accordingly.
The Jaguars see Travis Hunter as one of 53-man players on the roster
Tony Boselli made an appearance on the team's Jaguars Happy Hour podcast and stated that he's not worried about Travis Hunter's lack of impact, noting that he's coming off a serious injury and hasn't played much.
"Travis Hunter plays corner wide receiver for us... He has played a total nine games in the NFL. His last game last year, before he had a very serious knee injury, he had 120 yards and two touchdowns on offense, and had a PPU on defense," Boselli said (1:34:36 mark). "He missed all offseason because he was rehabbing his knee. Did a great job. Came back in camp for the first time, and now he's played two FL games, had a PBU, has had catches in the NFL."
Boselli continued, "Like, is he perfect? No. Are any of our players perfect? He's one of 53 that's trying to help us win football games, and he's doing a heck of a job. And we love Travis, and happy as a Jaguar. I don't know what the concern is, and the freakout vote is about Travis Hunter. He's played nine games in his entire NFL career. I mean, he's one of 53 guys that we love."
What stands out is that Boselli put an emphasis on saying Hunter is no different from any other Jaguars player, something he repeated later in the exchange.
"Well, I'm just glad that Travis Hunter is on our team. No difference. I'm glad that DaVon Hamilton's on our team. I'm glad that Trevor Lawrence is our quarterback, and Parker Washington's doing what he does. And I can go down the list of 53 guys. They are here for a reason to beat the Patriots on Saturday," Boselli said.
No disrespect to the DaVon Hamiltons of the world or any of the team's seventh-round selections. After all, everyone plays a role on the team. That said, Hunter isn't any other player. He was the highest-rated cornerback and receiver in the 2025 draft. On top of that, the Jags gave up a massive haul to trade up for him.
Sure, nobody in Jacksonville called him the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL like the media did, but general manager James Gladstone didn't exactly temper expectations when he said not only that he would make an impact on offense and defense, but he would change how the game was played.
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The Jaguars may be adjusting expectations because Travis Hunter isn't there yet
Nobody will deny that Travis Hunter is a talented player with unique athleticism. The issue is that his game-changing skills haven't translated into the NFL. That's not surprising; he wouldn't be the first collegiate star who's struggled with making the leap to the pros.
But leaving aside that Hunter is not playing two ways full-time — something that may not have been realistic in retrospect — he's not even playing one position full-time. Now, the Jags can't just give him a substantial role at the expense of other players if he isn't ready. That's where you could make the case that Jacksonville is right.
On the other hand, it's a bit odd to hear Boselli call Hunter just one of 53-man players when he's supposed to change the landscape of sports. Maybe he will. But thus far, he's barely making an impact and has a long way to go to become the player the Jags expected.
This might not be an issue if the Jaguars simply said that Travis Hunter is still finding his way in the NFL. It wouldn't be any less discouraging, but at least their stance would reflect his impact on the football field.
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