Travis Hunter won’t have to quit football.
The Jaguars intend to use the reigning Heisman winner and two-way phenom on both offense and defense after trading up to select him with the No. 2 pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, according to ESPN.
Hunter played cornerback and receiver for Colorado and made it clear leading into the draft that he would rather end his career than play just one position.
“It’s never playing football again,” Hunter told CBS Sports of how he would react to being limited to one side. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it.”
Hunter’s two-way skills — in a similar fashion to Dodgers superstar pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani — make him a unicorn in the sport.
He entered this draft ranked as both the top cornerback and wide receiver, providing whichever team that drafted him with a difference-maker no matter where he suits up.
That uniqueness explains why the Jaguars gave up a massive package to land Hunter, sending the Browns 2025 first-, second- and fourth-round picks — one each — along with their 2026 first-round selection to move up from the No. 5 selection to the No. 2 pick.
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Hunter revealed on the NFL Network broadcast that he had no talks with the Jaguars outside the combine, so he has no feel for how they plan to utilize him.
He’s pumped to head to the AFC South squad.
“I’m just super excited,” Hunter said. “I get to go back home, but also somewhere I wanted to play and I’m so excited that they picked me.”
The Browns used the No. 5 pick to draft Michigan’s Mason Graham, considered the best defensive tackle in this class, before Tom Brady’s Raiders selected Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.