How Travis Hunter Convinced Jaguars He Was Worth Price

The Jacksonville Jaguars had 3-plus weeks to weigh the costs, ultimately deciding to move forward.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, right, shakes hands and has a laugh with Tony Boselli, Executive Vice President of Football Operations, left, after receiving his jersey during a press conference Friday, March 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

During practice, Travis Hunter will sport a few dance moves. He wore Jaguars pajama pants under his graduation gown earlier this month, and catching him without a smile is as rare as catching an alligator without teeth. But don’t let all that fool you.

Underneath that affable exterior lies a fierce combatant, said Hall of Famer Tony Boselli.

“As you dig in and watch him play, and how he approached it, you understand this is an elite competitor,” the team’s executive VP of football operations said Thursday on the SiriusXM Blitz. “This is a guy who's focused on being the best Travis Hunter he can be, maximizing his skillset, his God-given skillset.”

That skillset wouldn’t amount to much in the NFL without Hunter’s thirst for competition, especially when the Jaguars need him to fight for 50-50 balls, whether he’s playing wide receiver or cornerback. Boselli and general manager James Gladstone also knew they’d have to fiercely compete to draft Hunter.

And to move up from No. 5 to No. 2, Gladstone, Boselli and head coach Liam Coen knew they had to give up what most wouldn’t – a future first-round selection.

“James came to us one day, Liam and I, and said, ‘Hey, what do we think about moving up to ensure we can go get Travis Hunter?,’” Boselli recalled. “And we worked through the scenarios and what we felt like that was going to cost us. We felt like it was worth the price we were going to pay to get an individual like Travis Hunter as a Jaguar.”

Travis Hunter as a Jaguar didn’t just happen with a short phone call on April 24. It began almost a month before when Gladstone connected with his Cleveland Browns counterpart, Andrew Berry. After hammering out the details for three-plus weeks, the Jaguars and Browns held their breath with the Tennessee Titans on the clock at No. 1.

“Give all credit to James Gladstone and Andrew Berry for working through that in early April,” Boselli said, “right after the end of the owners' meetings, and going through the process, coming to an agreement that obviously was contingent on Cam Ward going No. 1.

“We worked through it, had it set in place, and then sitting back and waiting and listening to everyone speculate what's going on. We kept a very tight circle; it was very quiet.”

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