The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a move that just established this new regime, led by GM James Gladstone, as an aggressive bunch who will move heaven and earth to bring in the players they desire. This helped bring in generational cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter to Jacksonville.
The Jaguars managed to pull off a league-changing trade that set them up as contenders in the immediate future, mortgaging a heavy boatload of future draft picks over to the Cleveland Browns in order to select Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Hunter's Shohei Ohtani-like two-way journey will start in Duval County.
The Jaguars may be throwing caution to the wind here, but that recklessness could be all they need to turn this team into a winner with Hunter at the center of their entire plan following a very sour end to the Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke eras.
Jaguars become AFC South favorites after Travis Hunter trade
Hunter was not only good at both cornerback and wide receiver; he was great. The Heisman Trophy winner was the winner of the Biletnikoff Award, which celebrates the best wide receiver in the country, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Rather than using picks on a No. 2 cornerback behind established top dog Tyson Campbell and giving Trevor Lawrence another weapon on the outside next to Brian Thomas Jr., the Jaguars managed to kill two birds with one stone by selecting a rare athlete with the skills to do both.
If Hunter is as good as advertised, the Jaguars could very quickly rise up a winnable division. The Texans lost many of their key contributors from last season's team, the Colts still don't know who their starting quarterback is, and the Titans are moving forward with a rookie in Cam Ward.
The Jaguars aren't operating like they were during the Baalke days. This front office is coming out swinging in their first ever NFL Draft, and it may land them a star for the future.