Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter: Olympic-Level Speed Underrated?

After Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce questioned if Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter has enough stamina to play offense and defense in the NFL. Many came to the defense of the Colorado Buffaloes legend, arguing he has 'Olympic-level' speed.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs during the first organized team activity at Miller Electric Center Monday, May 19, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter is one of the more anticipated rookies in NFL history after the former Colorado Buffaloes star made history in college. The current discussion surrounding Hunter is whether or not he will be able to maintain his elite level of play on both sides of the ball in the NFL.

Most recently, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce questioned how Hunter will be able to keep his energy if opposing offenses try to wear him down throughout an NFL game. Kelce made his opinion known on in a conversation with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, on an episode of their podcast, "New Heights."

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) walks off the field at the end of the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In response, 247Sports' Adam Munsterteiger came to Hunter's defense and explained how special of an athlete the former Colorado star truly is.

"NFL folks still no clue that Travis Hunter's stamina is on a different level than others. Greg Sholars, director of AP Ranch & longtime college track coach: 'I've coached Olympic-level sprinters, quarter milers, and I can honestly say I can put Travis on the track with any of them,'" posted Munsterteiger onto social media.

While at Colorado, Hunter averaged 111.5 snaps per game while no other player has averaged over 78 snaps per game since 2015. According to the Buffaloes team site, Hunter played 1,460 snaps out of 1,725 possible team snaps in 2024, meaning the Jaguars rookie was on the field for roughly 85 percent of the season in his last year of college football.

Most impressive, Hunter accomplished such a feat while playing a majority of games at altitude in Boulder, Colorado.

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Despite Hunter's unprecedented snap count, Kelce still questioned how the Jacksonville rookie will pull it off, playing both cornerback and wide receiver in the NFL:

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after a penalty is called during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“See, that’s the thing," Kelce said. "I don’t know how they’re going to divvy it out. I don’t know because teams are going to be going after him. They’re going to try and make his day miserable. Dude, if he plays corner, they’re just going to run deep balls at him all day. The wide receivers just take off on him all day. Just to try to get him tired. Why wouldn’t you just attack him that way?”

However, the Kansas City star might be mistaken in his assumption of Jacksonville's plans regarding Hunter's split on offense and defense. After selecting Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jaguars coach Liam Coen told reporters that the team plans to play Hunter primarily on offense to start while installing some special defensive packages that feature Hunter at cornerback.

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen answers questions during a press conference with the team’s first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, right, Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We’ll have a plan right now of [him playing] primarily on offense, with him learning the defensive system and practicing on the defensive side of the ball as well throughout this offseason program," said Coen.

The Jaguars coach stayed true to his word as Hunter started working with the offense during rookie minicamp. However, the Buffaloes legend also participated in defensive drills throughout the offseason. At the final day mandatory minicamp, Hunter worked with both sides of the ball during one practice for the first time in his young NFL career.