Travis Hunter Snapped Up at No. 2 by Jaguars in Wild NFL Draft Move

Travis Hunter just pulled off the rare feat of being the NFL Draft’s ultimate two-way unicorn, landing as the No. 2 overall pick after the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a serious trade heist to get him.

The Jaguars, hungry for a game-changer, sent a pile of picks to the Cleveland Browns—including their own fifth overall, a couple more this year, and next year’s first-rounder—just to snag Hunter. That’s the definition of going all in.

Hunter made his name at Colorado by being everywhere—literally, averaging more than 100 snaps a game. On offense, he racked up 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning him the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football. Not content with just that, he also hauled in the Bednarik Award for top defender, making history as the first to ever win both.

Defensively, Hunter locked down receivers and snatched four interceptions, leading a Colorado squad that went 9-3 and just missed the Big 12 championship. He wasn’t alone in the turnaround—Shedeur Sanders and coach Deion Sanders were right there with him, but let’s be real, Hunter was the heartbeat of that team.

Draft night was extra special for Hunter, who got to share his big moment with his father—thanks to a judge granting travel permission despite his dad’s house arrest sentence. Now that’s a family story you don’t see every day in the NFL green room.

In Jacksonville, Hunter will join a secondary with Tyson Campbell and Darnell Savage as a cornerback, but don’t expect him to stick to one side of the ball. The Jaguars also plan to use him as a wide receiver, teaming up with Brian Thomas Jr. and catching passes from Trevor Lawrence. If anyone can pull off being a modern-day Iron Man, it’s probably Hunter.

But not everyone’s convinced he should play both ways in the pros. NFL veteran Ed McCaffrey says Hunter’s biggest value is at cornerback, warning that even superhumans might not survive playing every snap in the NFL. As McCaffrey put it, “When you get to the NFL, there isn’t as much of a gap in talent.”

Hunter, ever the competitor, flatly rejects the idea of picking just one position—he says he’d rather quit football altogether than give up his two-way dream. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it,” he told CBS Sports.

So, the Jaguars are betting big on a guy who wants to do it all. Hunters like him don’t come around often—and if he manages to pull this off in the NFL, don’t be surprised if he rewrites the rulebook for what a draft pick can be.