Jaguars' Travis Hunter Lands Bold Prediction for Sophomore Campaign

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There will certainly be a big focus on Jacksonville Jaguars' top pick Travis Hunter in 2026. And with a big focus comes big expectations.

For Hunter, the 2026 season will mean a return from his rookie year injury and a chance to carve out his role on both sides of the ball -- and at least one analyst has sky-high expectations.

Big Prediction

Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano is putting together early projections for who the best 100 players in the NFL will be next season, and he had an explosive prediction for the Jaguars' top draft pick from a year ago. Manzano ranked Hunter at No. 43, one spot ahead of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

"This is my biggest gamble of the top 100 list. Hunter failed to make an impact as a wide receiver (28 catches, 298 yards, TD) and had his rookie season cut short due to a non-contact knee injury in October. He has a long recovery, and the Jaguars could play it safe with the 2025 No. 2 pick," Manzano said.

travis hunter — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) yells as his is introduced before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"But I’m O.K. with betting this high on Hunter because he showed he can hold his own as a starting cornerback and was starting to figure it out on the offensive side. In his final game, Hunter had eight catches for 101 yards and one touchdown vs. the Rams in Week 7."

While the updates on Hunter were limited after his Week 9 non-contact knee injury that ended his rookie season, the Jaguars' brass has said since the season ended that they expect him to see an uptick of reps on the defensive side of the ball in Year 2,

"Yeah, I think very fair to say his rehab process is going as expected. He's hitting it hard and obviously the joy that he brings to just the everyday operation is still something that permeates throughout the space that he enters and beyond that and the role that he'll play, we still expect him to play on both sides of the ball. Obviously you can take a peek at expiring contracts on our roster and which side of the ball has more," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said earlier this month.

"Obviously at this point walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts. By default, you can expect there to be a higher emphasis on his placement. I think from Liam's perspective, he can share it, but the steps he was taking by the midpoint of the season really made us feel good about what the back half of the year was going to be like on both sides of the ball and what that impact was going to look like being a feature point on offense and an impact player on defense."

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