Analyst Believes Jaguars' Travis Hunter Can Win Illustrious Award

The Jacksonville Jaguars knew what kind of talent they were getting when they traded up to the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter.

A rare two-way player who has made history and excelled at every stop of his football journey, Hunter is already one of the most recognizable names from his draft class. He is also one of the top names currently being floated as early favorites for one of the NFL's top awards.

NFL Network's Brian Baldinger broke down his three early favorites for offensive rookie of the year, including Hunter alongside Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty and Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren.

"You can't leave Travis Hunter out of this conversation," Baldinger said.

"We don't yet know exactly how Liam Coen is going to use him. We know that Brian Thomas Jr. was a great draft pick, the fourth receiver taken a year ago. He's got deep speed and the ability to seperate. But so does Travis Hunter, and his ability to adjust to the ball ... I gotta believe Travis hunter is going to be in that conversation because I believe he is going to wow us on a bunch of Sunday afternoons this year."

No Jaguars player has ever been named offensive or defensive rookie of the year, with recent best efforts from Thomas and Josh Hines-Allen falling short.

Now, Hunter will get his chance to further make Jaguars history. And who knows, perhaps he will once again become a trendsetter and make more history by being a candidate at both spots.

Hunter will get his best chance on offense though, with the rookie receiver expected to step into a key role across from Thomas early on in his career.

"You are always trying to add competition and playmakers. There's so many schemes that you can devise and execute, and ultimately when you have players that can win on their own and do something with the ball on their own, I can't really coach that," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the Hunter selection.

"Coordinators can't really coach for that. Ultimately, you're looking for players, can they win on their own, and can they impact our offense in that way? Yes, he does. That is what we were looking to do in so many ways. Try to address the ability to block up-front in the pro-free agency and get some more help there and competition at positions on the O-line and try to go get this guy here.”

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