General manager James Gladstone moved up in the 2025 NFL draft to select two-way standout Travis Hunter Jr., believing the Heisman Trophy winner can contribute on both sides of the ball for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans in London was perhaps the best glimpse yet of what that vision can be on an NFL field.
Hunter joined one of the small football clubs. Although the Jaguars ultimately fell short in a 34-31 loss to the Texans, Hunter gave hope that he could explode on both sides of the football.
Hunter’s touchdown reception — his first of the season and second in the NFL — came early in the fourth quarter, helping Jacksonville get within a Texas field goal. Hunter came up with a beautiful design, working right out of the attacking backfield, getting isolated on the “two-way” defender and cutting inside from the defender’s ability. Trevor Lawrence hits it in the end zone and the Jaguars are on the scoreboard once more:
There’s an even better look at the design as they make sure the catch is released out of the backfield, breaks the defender’s outside knee and goes downfield for the first touchdown of the NFL season.
The Jacksonville two-way standout finished the day with four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown, his best receiving day in the NFL.
But this is because its main use was in football defense. Last year, Jacksonville relied more on Hunter on the offensive side of the ball Entered 324 offensive snapsCompared to 162 defensive snaps.
Entering Sunday’s game against the Texans, Hunter had just 21 offensive snaps against 249 defensive snaps, accounting for 80 percent of Jacksonville’s defensive snaps this season.
He threw his first NFL interception a few weeks ago against the New England Patriots, but his second came in a big way for Jacksonville.
In the end zone, on the next drive after the touchdown reception:
The interception not only ended Houston’s scoring threat, but gave the Jaguars a chance to tie or take the lead late in the game. Here’s another look at Hunter’s CJ Stroud interception:
Jacksonville tied the game on the ensuing possession, and while the Texans held on to win on the final play of the game, his effort Sunday in London was exactly what Gladstone expected to see a year ago going into the top of the draft to select Hunter.
As for the feat, Hunter became the third player since the 1960s and the first since Brian Dawkins in 2002. Both became players by interfering in the same game.
Jaguars fans are now hoping this is the start of a bigger and possibly even bigger story from their second-year player.
