The NFL Draft, as a spectacle, has always been an eye-catching one, so much so that the event itself has been the entire subject of Hollywood movies, and now it has become customary for those set to be hooked up with their prospective franchises to dress for the occasion.
This can lead to moments of sartorial splendor, as well as occasionally see a few duds, and for the 2025 NFL Draft, it would be fair to say that Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Hunter, looking 100% fresh in his startling pink suit, was one of the big winners.
Hunter’s Impressive Debut and the Jaguars’ Ambitious Expectations
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21-year-old Hunter, who was the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, was picked up by Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and is a two-way player of real quality. The cornerback/wide receiver was the second player to be drafted, behind quarterback Cam Ward, who went to the Tennessee Titans, but arguably, in his pink outfit, he led the way at the NFL Draft.
Easing Hunter Into Jacksonville’s Plans for Success
The key to the success, or at least in their debut season, of any NFL draft pick is the way they are eased into a team’s overall plans. It’s crucial that they are not overloaded with expectations and that they are eased into any overall plan of action, and new coach Coen is more than aware of the importance of getting this right with a player of Hunter’s obvious talents.
Coach Coen on Hunter’s Development and Role Flexibility
In terms of Hunter’s workload, the 39-year-old coach (in his first NFL head coach role) commented:
“We have to be fluid,”
“We have it laid out. But we also have to have the ability to be agile and be fluid on specific days. If we don’t feel like he got enough work on one side of the ball the previous day, then we need to be able to move forward and get him those reps the next day.”
“Both Camp [Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile] and I and Grant [Jaguars’ offensive coordinator Grant Udinski] are all on the same page about, ‘Hey, how is this thing going to work? What do we want this to look like?’ We want it to look like what it looked like at Colorado, and that would be pretty good for us.”
Hunter’s Primary Role: Offensive Weapon for the Jaguars
The consensus appears to be that Hunter will predominantly be used as an offensive weapon, which is no surprise given the damage he did with Colorado in this department in 2024.
He racked up 1258 receiving yards and completed 15 touchdowns, and he is ready to pay back Jacksonville’s belief in him. After all, the Jaguars gave up their second and fourth picks as well as next year’s first-round pick, and Travis is ready to prove himself.
Hunter’s Determination to Prove His Worth
“They sacrificed a lot to get me. That means they believe in me. That just validates that I need to go ahead and just do my job.” Hunter commented before adding:
“I’m going to come out and do my job,”
“I’m not going to say I’m going to change anything. I don’t want to set the expectation too high. I’m just going to come in and do my job, and hopefully we change the atmosphere.”
