Jacksonville Jaguars trade up to select Travis Hunter at No. 2 overall in NFL Draft

From high school through college, Hunter didn't take many snaps off, and he's looking to remain a two-way star in the pros

Travis Hunter prepares to stiff-arm a Milton defender during Collins Hill's Georgia high school state championship win in 2021. / Photo by Cecil Copeland

Watching the Colorado Buffaloes play in 2024, it often looked like WR/DB Travis Hunter was playing at a different speed than everybody else.

Imagine what the disparity looked like in high school for a player who was selected at No. 2 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Thursday night in Green Bay. Jacksonville traded up from No. 5, taking over the Cleveland Browns spot, to get the opportunity to select Hunter.

After a junior season at Collins Hill (Georgia) in which Hunter caught 137 passes for 1,746 yards and 24 touchdowns, plus eight interceptions on defense, NFL scouts were already drooling.

He entered his senior season in 2021 as either the No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in the country, depending on the recruiting service, with a chip on his shoulder seeking Collins Hill's first-ever state championship.

The Eagles' 2020 season ended with a loss to Grayson in the state championship game, but Hunter helped Collins Hill finish as 7A state champs in 2021 with a win over Milton.

“It's going to be known as the greatest team to ever play at Collins Hill,” then-coach Lenny Gregory said. “And looking at the stats, it might be the one of the greatest teams to ever play in the state of Georgia.”

Hunter finished that state championship game with 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown, plus a forced fumble on defense.

Despite his gaudy numbers on offense, most scouts viewed Hunter as a defensive back in college (and eventually the NFL).

Hunter wasn't having it then, and he isn't now either.

Early in his senior season at Collins Hill, after a win over Brookwood in the Corky Kell Classic, Hunter told SBLive Sports he planned to play offense and defense in college (though he got the college wrong).

“I’ll play both ways," Hunter said of what Florida State had promised him. "I’m pretty sure they’re going to let me play both ways at wide receiver and DB.”

Of course he flipped to Jackson State and Coach Deion Sanders, whom he then followed to Colorado, and the rest is history.

Whichever NFL team drafts Hunter will be getting "a springy, twitchy, beat-you-at-all-costs competitor," as High School On SI's Todd Milles described Hunter after watching him live in his high school finale in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series in Las Vegas.

Here's what 247 Sports said about Hunter as a prospect in 2021:

"A generational type of talent. Legitimately CB1 and WR1 for the class of 2022. Makes everything he does look extremely easy. Smooth. Explosive. Competitive. At times it seems like he’s almost a human cheat code as he’s always making the highlight reel play at the right time.

"Video game numbers during prep career (over 3,600 receiving yards, 46 touchdown catches and 19 interceptions) make him seem even more godly. Hasn’t tested anywhere, but he’s one of those prospects that doesn’t need to run on the lasers to verify anything as his play speed trumps others. Quick to read and react on the defensive side of the ball. Likes to bait quarterbacks into making poor decisions.

"Elite ball skills and ability to elevate over other players helps him take away throwing windows. Shifty footwork makes him difficult to cover when he’s on offense. Mixes gears well and is able to shake defensive backs with crisp little cuts. Not afraid to lay out or get his jersey dirty, either. ... Will play on Sundays if there are no setbacks and has a chance to be selected Day 1 of the NFL Draft if he keeps progressing."

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