![Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) speaks during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01jsnajajgj8nj6mzytz.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) speaks during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
For nearly a month, nobody truly had an idea of what the Jacksonville Jaguars planned to do in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The new regime made sure to keep its strategy close to the chest. They ultimately traded for the No. 2 pick to select two-way star Travis Hunter. Nobody is happier about the pick than the quarterback the two-way star will be catching passes from.
Not long after the Jags got a deal done with the Cleveland Browns to be in a position to draft Hunter, Trevor Lawrence took to Twitter to welcome the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner with arms wide open: "Travis Hunter welcome brother, let's go to work! Jaguras boys are cookin'," No. 16 said on Twitter.
As noted before, the Jags did a good job of preventing leaks. That said, they surely let Lawrence know of their intention to trade up to get Hunter. Now, Lawrence has no excuses. His got enough weapons to reclaim his stop as a top quarterback in the NFL.
Hunter was the highest-rated prospect in virtually every draft board this year, regardless of the position. As a receiver, he hauled in 92 receptions for 1,152 yards with 14 touchdowns.
What can Travis Hunter do for Trevor Lawrence?
Looking back, the 2024 season is one the Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence would surely like to forget. Expected to bounce back after failing to make the playoffs the year prior, they managed a way to get even worse. Then again, not everything was doom and gloom.
First-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. proved to be a bright spot in what was a dreadful offense. The former LSU Tiger finished the season with 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He did it despite the fact that he was catching passes from Mac Jones. Couple that with Doug Pederson's inadequate coaching, and his success looks even more impressive.
But as impressive as Thomas was, the Jaguars needed another receiver who could prevent opposing teams from zeroing in on him. The Jaguars kind of got one when they signed Dyami Brown in free agency, but he may only be in Jacksonville for a season. They needed a long-term answer at the position. Enter Travis Hunter.
The former Colorado Buffalo probably won't get many targets early in his rookie season but will most likely see an uptick in playing time as the year progresses. And once Brown leaves in 2026, he'll take on a featured role.
But even if Hunter doesn't have a big workload in 2025, he will be for Lawrence the big-play target the Jags thought they had in Gabe Davis and give the offense a weapon opposite Thomas. On top of that, he'll give defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile an intriguing chess piece to work with.
While it's true that the cost to trade up for Travis Hunter was a bit steep, the Jags surely won't mind because they got Trevor Lawrence the weapon he was missing last year.