The Jaguars pulled off a draft surprise by trading up for receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, bringing him back to his native Florida.
While reports of the possible trade between Jacksonville and Cleveland didn’t leak out until Thursday, Hunter told reporters after the selection that he had an idea that something might be up.
“[A]t what point did I think this could be possible? I’ll probably say last night, I was looking at some houses, so I kind of had a feeling,” Hunter said, via transcript from the team. “Then about a week ago, I was talking to my agent who was talking about it, and I was thinking that this was a possibility. It’s been about a week — a good week.”
When the Jaguars called him, Hunter said he was excited to hear from both offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Head coach Liam Coen noted that Hunter will begin his tenure with Jacksonville primarily on offense, the club does plan to use him on defense.
“Just whatever the coaches in the organization, in the club, think about me,” Hunter said when asked how he envisions being used. “It’s up to them at this point, but I’m going to go out there and show them all I can do both.
“I just feel like I can help the organization out in many ways, and I hope that we turn it around.”
Hunter also noted that he followed the Jaguars throughout 2024, believing he might end up with the club in the draft. Now he’s going to be on the field with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
“I actually met [Lawrence] in Hawaii — we were doing something for Adidas, but it was a blessing though, to be able to meet him that first time and then now I get to go meet him again, also get to play with him,” Hunter said. “We also get to go do our thing. So, definitely a blessing. I’m definitely happy to go to work with him.”
“Brian Thomas is tough. I always tell people,” Hunter added. “They were asking me this year who was my favorite receiver out of this year, like who’s playing good to me. I always told them Brian Thomas. He’s very slept on, but he’s also very, very good. I’m excited to get to meet him and get to play with him, make that dynamic duo.”
Now that Hunter is officially in the league, does he have any reservations about wanting to be a two-way player?
“It’s a faster game, but you get a lot more breaks,” Hunter said. “So, I’m just excited to go out there and work.”
