When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select Travis Hunter second overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, expectations immediately went off the charts. After all, the former Heisman Trophy winner was coming off an electrifying season at Colorado, and the Jags weren't going to limit him to one side of the ball. Unfortunately, it didn't play out the way they had envisioned.
Hunter got off to a slow start to his rookie campaign. But once he was beginning to find his groove, he suffered a season-ending injury. The good news is that No. 12 is trending toward being back for training camp. Even better is that Jacksonville isn't giving up on the two-way.
Sure, Hunter may not play receiver nearly as much, but he'll play cornerback full-time. Former NFL cornerback DeAngelo Hall has been watching from afar and believes that will allow him to reach his potential.
DeAngelo Hall believes Travis Hunter can become an elite corner for the Jaguars
DeAngelo Hall had a sitdown with Hard Rock Bet and stated that he's excited to watch Travis Hunter fully focus on playing corner because he has the necessary skills to play the position at an elite level.
"I know some guy who coached him at Colorado, and they'd always call me to say, 'This guy has some of the best ball skills I've ever seen.' You saw that when he played receiver, and you even saw it sometimes when he was playing DB," Hall told HRB. "So most quarterbacks or offenses aren't necessarily scared of throwing the football unless they think the DB they're targeting can take it away from them."
Hall continued, "That's the fear factor Travis Hunter has at cornerback because he can definitely create takeaways. I'm looking forward to watching Hunter play through a healthy season where he doesn't have to go back and forth between positions a lot."
Hunter logged just 36 percent of the team's snaps on defense but most definitely showed potential, giving up just nine receptions on 18 targets for 106 yards. He didn't make any game-changing plays, but that was due to the dearth of opportunity. That should change next season, when the West Palm Beach native spends more time at corner.
The Jaguars expect big things from Travis Hunter next season
The Jaguars knew that it was going to take Travis Hunter a while to put it all together. That's one of the big reasons their confidence in him hasn't wavered. If anything, he should be in a position to make an immediate impact after learning how to balance his workload on offense and defense.
It's also worth noting that Hunter may not be a full-go until the opener against the Cleveland Browns, but that's time he can spend studying the nuances of playing corner. Of course, he needs all the reps he can get before the regular season starts, but as DeAngelo Hall noted, he has all the talent in the world to play at an elite level. Benjamin Solak of ESPN echoed the sentiment, arguing that the former Buffalo flashed potential in 2025 despite the fact that his technique needed work.
If Hunter refines his work and plays up to his talent level, Solak believes he can turn into an All-Pro corner. The Jaguars might have also had a similar vision when they drafted him second overall.
Either way, the Travis Hunter buzz hasn't died down in spite of his rough rookie season because both analyst and players know that he can accomplish big things with the Jaguars in 2026.
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