Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter Among Top NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year Candidates

While he's also tasked with balancing defensive duties, former Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter was named an early candidate for the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award ahead of his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On Friday, Bleacher Report named Hunter as one of seven early players to watch for the prestigious award, along with Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward, New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren, Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey, Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton and Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty. Ward and Jeanty both finished behind Hunter in last year's Heisman Trophy voting.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass 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

Bleacher Report's Damian Parson noted that Hunter should fit in well alongside fellow wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who totaled 1,282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie last season. Trevor Lawrence has proven to be a reliable NFL quarterback while Liam Coen is entering his first season leading the Jaguars.

Hunter is not a polished wide receiver due to playing heavy snaps on both sides of the football in college. That said, he is a high-impact player with elite physical tools—speed, leaping ability and agility. His movement patterns provide hope that Hunter will round into a crisp route-runner. Hunter and Thomas give Coen alignment-versatile receivers who will win from anywhere in the formation. Hunter will see a high volume of targets. Given advantageous opportunities and high-quality targets, he will elevate the Jaguars passing attack and put up big numbers.
Damian Parson

While he may not play as many offensive snaps as Thomas, Hunter owns all the tools to become an immediate superstar in the NFL. The decorated two-way star finished his final season in Boulder with 1,258 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns en route to becoming the No. 2 overall pick in last month's draft.

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Apr 25, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars first round draft pick Travis Hunter talks to the media beside head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone during a press conference at Miller Electric Center. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

Hunter has all the physical abilities to play both ways, but his biggest rookie year challenge may be learning Jacksonville's offensive and defensive playbooks. Lawrence recently spoke on having to share his new wide receiver with the Jaguars' defensive room.

"You work around all that. You get as many reps as you can, you talk as much as possible," Lawrence said following an OTA practice last week. "If I see how he did something and I think he can do it a little different, or if he likes to do things a certain way, he can voice that to me, so both of those things. And then in the building, in the meeting room, watching tape, installing, talking about what I'm looking for, what coaches are looking for and certain concepts just to get him up to speed because he's learning a new system."

The past two Offensive Rookie of the Year winners were both quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders and C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans.