Players who go early in the NFL Draft, especially those who are selected in the top 5, are under a lot of scrutiny. Not surprisingly, expectations are through the roof for Travis Hunter after the Jacksonville Jaguars took him second overall this past April. While he got the spotlight during rookie minicamp, he was a bit rusty during Day 1 of Organized Team Activities. This led to questions about his readiness for the 2025 season. Fortunately, a trusted beat reporter is pouring cold water on the notion that he's struggling.
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated attended Day 4 of OTAs and said that Hunter looked much better, pointing out that he had several impressive reps even when he didn't get the ball.
"During the eary team and 7-on-7 periods, we kept a close eye on Jaguars' star rookie Travis Hunter - even on plays where he didn't get the ball," Shipley said. "And those plays might have been his best ones, with Hunter already showing some improvements as a route-runner and demonstrating several impressive reps with easy separation against some of the Jaguars' best coverage players."
Shipley continued, "LIke one would expect with a younger player, Huner seems to be getting better each practice. But not all young players have Hunter's immense ceiling, which is what makes his development track all the more impressive. If he continues at this pace, he will have no problem making an impact for the Jaguars early in the season."
Just recently, Hunter became the source of controversy and hot takes because he didn't run a crisp route. However, the following day, he ran the same route flawlessly. And that's the thing, as talented as the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner is, he's got a learning curve, and won't always be perfect.
Hays Carlyon of 1010 recently wondered why there's so much chatter about Hunter potentially struggling. In the same breath, he said that there's nothing to be worried about, pointing out that the rookie two-way star is doing just fine. Similarly, Dez Bryant came to the West Palm Beach's native defense, arguing that how he ran a route isn't indicative of how much of a difference-maker he is.
The Jaguars expect big things from Travis Hunter in 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars know Travis Hunter is a game-changer. Otherwise, they wouldn't have traded up for him. At the same time, they're aware that he'll experience a learning curve, especially when you take into account that he's learning the nuances of playing not one but two positions at the NFL level.
Either way, nobody at the Jaguars HQ or the local media is getting fidgety about Hunter, or any other player for that matter. Simply, it's too early in the offseason to get worried. On the other hand, players who look good won't necessarily show out in the regular season. If anything, they need to keep building off their strong performance, so they're ready when the time comes.
The bottom line is that Travis Hunter is doing everything the Jaguars are asking him and then some. And unless he drops 10 passes in a row and struggles in every practice, there's nothing to be concerned about.
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