Former Pro Bowler Opens Up on Travis Hunter's Projection

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a load-management plan, James Gladstone says.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, center, poses with his jersey with Tony Boselli, Executive Vice President of Football Operations, right and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, left, during a press conference Friday, April 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

James Gladstone paying a costly future first-rounder to move up and draft Travis Hunter might wind up as the best thing for Trevor Lawrence at the end of the quarterback’s career. It might wind up paying for itself next year if Hunter can become the equivalent of a first-round receiver and first-round cornerback.

Or, it might not according to former Pro Bowl lineman Damien Woody, who won two Super Bowls with New England, who said Monday morning the primary concern isn’t whether Hunter can excel in the NFL on both sides of the ball.

“He's a small guy,” Woody said of the 6-0, 188-pound Hunter, on Monday’s edition of Get Up. “He's an unbelievable talent, but he's very slight. I've always said, big people beat little people. Always. And when you give up this amount of capital, draft capital, for a guy like Travis Hunter, I just don't know if he's going to affect the game for as much capital as they gave away.”

Jacksonville gave away the No. 5 overall pick (the Browns drafted DT Mason Graham), No. 36 overall early in the second round (Cleveland chose RB Quinshon Judkins) and No. 126 in the fourth round (the Browns landed RB Dylan Sampson). And that’s not including the future first-rounder, a risky move considering that 12 of the last 15 NFL trades involving future first-rounders have netted less-than-ideal results.

Gladstone recouped some of that capital in the trade, using Cleveland’s fourth- and sixth-rounders to get speedy RB Bhaysul Tuten and safety Rayuan Lane, respectively. But Hunter will forever define this draft for the Jaguars, and whether he can withstand the exponentially faster and more physical NFL is a concern.

Hunter’s injury history isn’t long but is a concern. He missed portions of two games last season with a shoulder injury. In 2023, he missed three games with a lacerated liver and, before joining Deion Sanders at Colorado, Hunter reportedly aggravated a high-school ankle injury and missed five Jackson State games in 2022.

The Jaguars obviously reviewed his medical files before making the investment. They also have a plan to handle any injury treatment as well as cardio.

“There's a lot of layers to that,” Gladstone said Friday at Hunter’s introductory press conference. “Certainly, we have to operate within all measures in compliance with league mandates, but at the same time, yeah, there's a certain level of recovery and preparation in order to take on the workload that he's about to sort of take on. … Again, it's got a lot of layers to the sports-science front and making sure we're operating on all cylinders.”

Hunter operating on all cylinders, everyone can agree, is a recipe for endless NFL excitement – as long as he can remain available.

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