Travis Hunter at Javits Center Brings Memory of 2005 Draft

Pittsburgh Steelers will open preseason in Jacksonville Aug. 9.

Easton Brown, 9, of Neptune Beach walks with blue mohawk and Jacksonville Jaguars Travis Hunter (12) jersey during the second mandatory minicamp at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars rookies typically don’t make appearances at the annual Fanatics Fest. Travis Hunter is not a typical Jaguars rookie.

Fanatics confirmed last week that Hunter will take part in this weekend’s event, Fanatics Fest NYC 2025, scheduled for Friday-Sunday at the Javits Center in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.

A three-day celebration of sports, pop culture and collectibles, Fanatics Fest gives the public an exclusive opportunity to meet some of the most significant household names in sports. In addition to Hunter, this weekend’s roster of NFL players includes Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Joe Burrow, Odell Beckham Jr., Rob Gronkowski, Russell Wilson, Micah Parsons, Sauce Gardner, C.J. Stroud, Tyreek Hill, Jayden Daniels, CeeDee Lamb, Dez Bryant, Julian Edelman, Damar Hamlin, Bryce Young and Myles Garrett.

This year, the event includes a groundbreaking, high-stakes skills competition called Fanatics Games. Although Hunter wasn’t listed on the initial lineup, the competition’s pairings include Brady, Manning and DJ Khaled in one group, LSU products Beckham and Daniels in another and Parsons with Garrett to close out the contest on Sunday. Participating fans will join the athletes and celebrities.

The Javits Center is best known in NFL circles as the host of the 2005 draft, where Aaron Rodgers sat in the green room for hours before the Packers took him at No. 24 in the first round. The first selection in the career of late general manager Ted Thompson, Rodgers led the team to a Super Bowl title five years later.

Rodgers, scheduled to make his unofficial Steelers debut Aug. 9 when Pittsburgh opens the preseason at Jacksonville, is the only active player selected in the 2005 draft. Five years after he retires, Rodgers is expected to join fellow ’05 selection DeMarcus Ware, already enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hunter was in Green Bay when the Jaguars made him the first selection in the career of general manager James Gladstone. The two-way star hadn’t reached his second birthday when Green Bay took Rodgers in 2005, but the Jaguars certainly remember that draft.

Three picks before Rodgers, Jacksonville opted for Matt Jones, a 6-6, 242-pound college quarterback from Arkansas. Jones converted immediately to wide receiver at the NFL level and wound up playing four seasons before retiring, following several off-the-field issues.

Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin is a former limited partner in the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers.

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