When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select Travis Hunter, they had to give their first-round pick, among other things, to the Cleveland Browns. They probably won't mind paying such a steep price if the 2024 Heisman Trophy helps them alter the course of the franchise. The trouble is that Jordan Reid of ESPN doesn't think he'll move the needle and once again expects the Jags to land near the cellar of the league next season.
Reid put together a too-early 2026 NFL Draft. At first glance, you could make the case that it isn't much use for Jaguars fans because they won't have a first-round pick next year, but it does certainly come with an interesting tidbit.
The pick the Jags traded to Cleveland, Reid expects it to be the third overall. That means that they'll finish with an even worse record in 2025 than last year, when they went 4-13. In case you were wondering, the Browns use the selection they got from Jacksonville to move up for the first overall and take a quarterback despite the fact that they just drafted two.
When putting together the mock, Reid says that he used the inverse Super Bowl odds from ESPN BET to determine the order. Either way, his projection won't get many Jaguars fans hyped up.
Travis Hunter won't help the Jaguars win games based on ESPN's Mock Draft
General manager James Gladstone told the local media that Travis Hunter is the kind of player who can alter not only a franchise or a city but the sport of football as well. Based on Jordan Reid's Mock Draft, though, he'll barely move the needle. Think about it, if he expects the Jacksonville Jaguars to clinch the third overall selection, is because he thinks they'll only win two or three games next season. However you look at it, that's a wild projection.
Even if Hunter missed the whole year for whatever reason * knocks on wood *, Trevor Lawrence has enough weapons to put lots of points on the scoreboard. Similarly, the Jaguars have a solid trio of corners in Jarrian Jones, Jourdan Lewis, and Tyson Campbell. Hunter is the cherry on top, but the rest of the bunch can more than hold their own.
Is it possible that the Jaguars regress in Liam Coen's first year as the head coach? You bet. They're entering a rebuilding year and may need a couple years before they become a contender. Having said that, Jacksonville has done enough smart moves in the offseason, both at the front office and personnel level, to make you think that they'll improve, not take a step back.
Heck, the AFC South could be wide open. The Houston Texans needed to reload in the offseason because their glaring flaws were exposed in the playoffs. If they're stuck in neutral, the Jaguars could have an opening. But even if they ended up failing to qualify for the postseason, an improvement of three or four wins in 2025 is realistic.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars would've surely wanted to keep their first-round pick next year, but won't miss it much if Travis Hunter turns out to be the real deal as expected. And if that's the case, they'll probably have more than three or four wins in 2025.