Moeller: Hunter Hype Building For A Breakout Season

 A year ago, Travis Hunter made as big a splash as when the Jaguars first took the field in 1995.

Jacksonville shocked the league and the football world when they moved up in the draft to make Hunter the second overall pick last season. His Heisman Trophy added to the hype. 

Expectations were sky-high, and the Jags had a potential two-way player who could certainly make a difference in a club who was looking for a major gamechanger. 

Hunter had the ability to excel offensively and defensively. He was viewed as the player that could put them over the top, and take some pressure off Trevor Lawrence.

Hunter initially discovered the difference between college football and the NFL. But he did begin to adapt.

Ironically, Hunter went down in practice after he had his most productive game of the season with a seven-catch, 101-yard effort against the Rams. He also proved he could play corner when he had as good a game on the other side of the ball against Devonte Adams.

Through seven games, Hunter had 28 catches for 298 yards with a score, and added 15 tackles. The Jags were off to a slow start with a  4-3 overall mark.

They added Jakobi Meyers, who had a breakout season, and Parker Washington came into his own. They both took some pressure off Brian Thomas Jr.

Yet, for the first time in a long while, the Jags had an effective and efficient receiving corps, and it resulted in the Jags winning nine of their last 10 and going 13-4 overall.

Who knows how the season might have gone with a healthy Hunter? The Jags might not have picked up Meyers, but they haven’t regretted the move. 

 This summer, the Jags have Hunter on a relatively slow track, but he apparently has been at full strength. Reports had him running over 20 miles per hour.

With the Jags’ stable of receivers, Hunter likely will get the majority of snaps defensively this fall. Last season was the opposite. He had 324 offensively and 172 defensively.

Head coach Liam Coen has indicated Hunter likely will open the season at corner, a position the Jags still regard as a priority. 

Coen does plan to give Hunter offensive snaps, realizing his possible firepower. He had one rushing attempt, but Coen might want to explore more options with Hunter in the backfield to take advantage of his speed.

The Jags begin training camp July 28, and Coen and his staff as well as the Jags’ faithful are keeping their fingers crossed.

They had seven games of Hunter last year, and they wondered what the rest would be like. 

The expectations are already building of what a second overall dynamic, two-way player could do for an entire season.