![Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) has a laugh after the seventh organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Monday, June 2, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3155,h_1774/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01jwsh1ty4jycyykesst.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) has a laugh after the seventh organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Monday, June 2, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
During the early stages of Organized Team Activities, rookie Travis Hunter came under scrutiny because he had a few bad reps. Although he mostly fared well, his mistakes were (and will be) magnified because he was the second overall pick in this past NFL draft. It also didn't help that he was dubbed a sport-altering talent. Nevertheless, he's quickly proving why the Jacksonville Jaguars are so confident in him.
After struggling on Day 1 of OTAs, Hunter looked noticeably better on Day 4. John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reported that the two-way star continued to show growth on Day 7, pointing out that it might've been "his most complete practice yet."
"Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown, and Travis Hunter all made incredible, impressive grabs throughout the day, with Hunter especially seeming like a tough cover for any Jaguars' defensive back," Shipley said. "Hunter had maybe his most complete practice yet that we have seen in the three open practices during OTAs; he was getting open consistently, had reliable hands over the middle, and was finding soft zones on scramble drills. It was a good day for this trio."
This isn't particularly surprising when you take into account that Hunter was the highest-rated receiver (and cornerback) in this year's class. Sure, he's going to experience a learning curve like most rookies, but he's quickly validating the Jaguars' decision to trade up to select him.
Leaving aside Travis Hunter's outing on offense, he's also starting to get reps at cornerback. He had begun to attend defensive meetings in the first week of OTAs and will continue to see an increased workload as the offseason progresses. Sure, it will be a while before he makes the full transition into the pros, but the early results are promising.
Liam Coen is encouraged with Travis Hunter's work on defense
Liam Coen met with the local media after Day 7 of OTAs and said that he was pleased with Travis Hunter's development, noting that he's showcasing the skills to play corner.
"[Ron] Milus came up to me after practice, said, can we have them more? And so that's a good thing, right?" Coen responded when asked how Hunter is doing on defense. "You know, we were in the red area last on Friday, and didn't end up making any like plays on the ball, but just the movement skills and some of the man coverages, the feel and zone, you can definitely see how natural it is for him, still learning, still growing, still trying to learn the calls as much as possible.
Coen continued, "But when you see him just in the actual seven-on and team setting, he doesn't look out of place by any means."
Below is the head coach's full exchange with the local media. His remarks about Hunter start at the 14:53 mark.
It's still too early to tell whether Travis Hunter will truly be able to play two ways full-time, but the early signs are positive. Of course, he's going to have a few rough practices along the way, but that shouldn't outdo the promising work he's put in.