Just a couple days before the draft, rumors surfaced that the Jacksonville Jaguars would make a bold move. Then, the first round came, and they made the decision to trade up to select Travis Hunter with the second overall selection. The move turned heads around the league, not only because it showed the Jags' drive to get better but also its steep price.
Jacksonville had to part ways with their second, fourth, and sixth-round picks in 2025 and its first-round selection next year to the Cleveland Browns to move up three spots, along with a fourth-round selection. The Jags won't mind giving up that much draft capital if Hunter turns out to be the sport-altering talent they think he is. Moreover, recent Tre Harris makes the trade look even better in retrospect.
Harris is one of 30 second-round picks holding out ahead of training camp. The biggest hurdle preventing him from signing his rookie deal with the Los Angeles Chargers is that he wants the whole contract to be guaranteed, or as close as it can be.
Already, fellow second-round selections wide receiver Jayden Higgins (pick No. 34) and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (pick No. 35) got fully guaranteed deals. The rest of the players taken in Round 2 remain unsigned and are staying put. Harris highlights the group because the Chargers already reported to training camp, and he didn't participate.
The issue will eventually be resolved. But in the meantime, those players who are skipping training camp are missing key reps and may ultimately not be ready for the opener. It was a whole different situation, but back in 2022, linebacker Devin Lloyd sat out a good chunk of training camp and struggled once the season began. Something similar could happen to those rookie second-rounders who will skip practice.
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The Jaguars don't have any 2nd-round picks to worry about in 2025
One added benefit of the Travis Hunter trade is that the Jacksonville Jaguars don't have to deal with the keruffle of having to worry about how much of their second-rounder's contract will be guaranteed. Heck, they already took care of the most pressing issue regarding their rookie class.
Because Hunter will play two ways in the NFL, there were questions about how the contract would be constructed. The Jags didn't let it become an issue, and he received a fully guaranteed deal, making him the first non-quarterback rookie to do so. As of this writing, Jacksonville has locked up nearly all of its 2025 class. The only holdout appears to be fifth-round selection Jack Kiser as of this writing, with running back Bhayshul Tuten inking his deal in June.
That said, it's hard to see Kiser's deal lingering in training camp, and it may be a question of time before the matter is resolved.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars will have to deal with many issues in 2025, but getting their rookie class signed won't be one of them, and not having a second-round pick certainly helped.