Arik Armstead Recalls Experience of Making Historic Hunter Announcement

The Jacksonville Jaguars lineman began a unique relationship with Hunter in Green Bay.

Wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter hugs Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead after the Jaguars select Hunter second overall during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arik Armstead didn’t want to make a mistake. The reigning Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year thought he had at least 45 minutes before announcing the Jaguars’ first-round selection, so he prepared as he would for a game. He practiced.

“Being a part of that process, being backstage, me thinking, ‘Oh, we're at Pick 5 and I got a little time to prepare,’” Armstead recalled on Tuesday’s edition of Good Morning Football. “I'm going over my notecards, trying to make sure I don't mess anything up. And then they come in like, ‘Hey, there's a trade that’s been made. You guys are up.’

“And as soon as the trade happened, everyone knew, and I knew who we were drafting: The best player in the draft, Travis Hunter.”

That early-draft drama made the experience for Armstead almost as exciting as it was for Hunter. On the grounds of historic Lambeau Field, where Paul Hornung once dominated as a do-everything weapon for Vince Lombardi’s Packers, Armstead became the first current teammate to meet Hunter shortly after his team drafted him.

And while Commissioner Roger Goodell takes the podium for most first-round selections, Armstead was the earliest non-commissioner ever to officially announce a selection. Armstead was familiar with the player he announced, too.

“I saw him since he was in high school,” Armstead said of watching Hunter’s highlight reel at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga. “He was Mossing kids. And following his career and his journey, as an NFL player we're always keeping tabs on the next young, great players coming up. To be a teammate of his now, it's going to be an awesome experience, and I think he's going to add a lot to our team.”

That’s an understatement. Hunter is expected to add more total snaps to an NFL team than any player in the modern era.

“He has a lot of juice,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said Monday after officially practicing with Hunter for the first time. “He can run all day, has a lot of energy. I love it, good energy. He’s always dapping guys up, just bringing juice every day.

“High motor, he can just go. He’s like a kid; just runs around all day. He doesn’t get tired, it seems like. You can’t have enough of that.”

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