The Jacksonville Jaguars have caught plenty of heat for supposedly giving up on Travis Hunter lining up at receiver. The truth is that the former Heisman Trophy winner will continue to play two ways but will get a bigger workload at cornerback.
On the other hand, the Jaguars are still being questioned for trading a first and a second-round pick to trade up from No. 5 to select Hunter second overall. You could argue that it was too much, but the truth is that moving three spots in the top 10 of the first round was never going to be cheap.
Either way, an NFL analyst took a look at what might've happened if Jacksonville had stayed put at No. 5. Spoiler: Mason Graham wouldn't have been the pick.
The Jaguras pass on Travis Hunter to pick Nick Emmanwori in The Athletic's draft do-over
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic just re-did the 2025 NFL Draft and had the Jaguars staying put at No. 5 to select safety Nick Emmanwori, who originally went to the Seattle Seahawks with the 35th overall selection. Here's the skinny.
"Emmanwori was a revelation last year as a hybrid X-factor in Mike Macdonald's Super Bowl-winning defense," Baumgardner wrote. "A perfect unicorn defender for the modern game, Emmanwori is big enough to work as an off-linebacker and fast enough to cover anyone on the field."
And in case you were wondering, Hunter went to the San Francisco 49ers, sliding all the way to No. 11.
Before the Jaguars traded up for Hunter, they were linked to wide receiver Tet McMillan, running back Ashton Jeanty, and defensive tackle Mason Graham. But just two days before Round 1 of the draft, reports emerged that they planned to take a big swing, which turned out to be the trade for the former Colorado Buffalo.
At the time, James Gladstone cited the fact that Hunter could change the landscape of sports as the reason the Jaguars moved up for him. Unfortunately, he didn't live up to expectations as a rookie, finishing the year with 298 receptions with one touchdown on 28 catches. Then again, No. 12 was just hitting his stride before he suffered a season-ending surgery. Had he stayed healthy, he would have probably finished the year strong.
Emmanwori, on the other hand, was part of a Seahawks defense that crushed the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. As a rookie, the former South Carolina Gamecock played like a grizzled veteran, registering eight passes defensed, 30 run stops, 18 total pressures, and 2.5 sacks.
Mason Graham — the player the Cleveland Browns picked at No. 5 — was a fine starter but didn't stand out, registering just 0.5 sacks and 49 total tackles last year.
Why the Jaguars chose Travis Hunter and not Nick Emmanwori
There's no doubt that the Jaguars could've used Nick Emmanwori last year, but hindsight is 20/20. Moreover, they drafted Caleb Ransaw in Round 3 and had Antonio Johnson, Eric Murray, and Andrew Wingard in the mix, so safety wasn't necessarily a pressing need.
Granted, Ransaw suffered a leg injury that ended his rookie season before it started, but that's not something Jacksonville could control. Moreover, the jury is still out on Hunter. You can make the case that the Jaguars overpaid to trade up for him, but if he turns out to be a game-altering talent at corner and makes highlight-reel plays on offense, nobody will question the Jags' decision to move up for him.
Make no mistake, Nick Emmanwori is a fine player, but 32 teams, including the Seahawks, passed on him in the first round. Had they known that he was going to turn out to be a difference-maker, he wouldn't have made it out of Round 1. Meanwhile, Travis Hunter was always projected to be a top-5 pick, so you cannot blame the Jaguars for making a bold trade for him, even if it has yet to pay dividends.
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