ClutchPoints
The Jacksonville Jaguars made their big swing this offseason at the NFL Draft, when they traded multiple first-round picks to move up to No. 2 overall in a swap with the Cleveland Browns. Travis Hunter, the former Colorado superstar and Heisman Trophy winner, was the selection for the Jaguars, leading to all kinds of questions and curiosity about what role he would play for them next season.
Of course, Hunter can play both wide receiver and cornerback, and he did both at an elite level last season for Deion Sanders and the Buffs. He won the Biletnikoff Award last season as the best wide receiver in college football, and he was arguably snubbed for the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back as well.
On Wednesday, former NFL player and current ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark gave his take on where Hunter should play to start his career.
“I think he has All Pro written all over him,” Clark said on NFL Live. “I believe the sky is the limit for Travis Hunter, but if you want to get immediate impact out of this young player, you let him play defense and you let him go lock folks up.”
Hunter is certainly more than capable of doing just that as a cornerback. He is a natural zone corner, with the spatial awareness and the unteachable instincts to make incredible plays on the ball. Naturally, as a part-time receiver, Hunter has incredible ball skills and can come up with an interception whenever the ball is thrown his way.
Hunter also grew exponentially as a man coverage cornerback last season under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston at Colorado. The former Bengals assistant played a ton of Cover 1 with the Buffs, consistently leaving Hunter alone on an island on the outside.
Hunter is also an incredibly explosive offensive player, which should allow him to help out Trevor Lawrence and company at times.
The two-way phenom has gotten reps on both sides of the ball during minicamp this summer, so it is certainly feasible that he could be asked to play both ways at some points of the season. While playing nearly every snap like he did at Colorado is a big ask, Hunter should be able to impact the game in some capacity at both wide receiver and cornerback this fall in Jacksonville.
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