Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen Vows to Help Travis Hunter Become an Elite NFL Player

Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen is ready to help second year CB/WR Travis Hunter become an elite player.

Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen Vows to Help Travis Hunter Become an Elite NFL Player

Travis Hunter and Josh Hines-Allen inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

Travis Hunter’s rookie year with the Jacksonville Jaguars ended prematurely. Hunter suffered a knee injury and underwent surgery. Before that, he was having a productive campaign.

Hunter played both ways. As a receiver, he caught 28 passes for 298 yards and scored one touchdown. While playing as a defensive back, Hunter registered 15 combined tackles and defended 3 passes.

It’s not easy to bounce back from a serious knee injury. As he’s still only in his early twenties, it should not take him too long to recover from the injuries. Moreover, the Jaguars also made it clear that Hunter will mostly play as a corner during his second year and occasionally fill in at the receiver spot.

[Travis is] hitting it hard. We still expect him to play on both sides of the ball.

The Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said

Jacksonville’s star defensive end Josh Hines Allen is hell-bent on helping Hunter realize his dream of being an elite player in the NFL.

I am going to do everything I can to help [Travis Hunter] fulfill whatever the vision they see… He’s a very bright kid… With a young and beautiful family, who loves football, loves football, loves to be on the field. [He] doesn’t wanna get off it and if he can take that talent and kind of give us the best that he can… I am gonna do everything I can to make sure he becomes the best corner.

Josh Hines-Allen told Pete Prisco of CBS Sports

Travis Hunter helps the Jacksonville Jaguars make a big move in the NFL Draft

Hunter, a Heisman Trophy winner, was a top 3 prospect heading into last year’s draft. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN viewed him as the perfect fit for the Cleveland Browns. On the day of the draft, the Jaguars traded with the Browns by parting ways with a 2025 second-rounder (No. 36), a 2025 fourth-rounder, and a 2026 first-round pick.

Jaguars' Josh Hines-Allen Vows to Help Travis Hunter Become an Elite NFL Player
Travis Hunter (Image via IMAGO)

As the Jaguars did not own a first-round draft pick, they had to wait until 56th overall on day two. That did not stop Gladstone from trying to move into the first round.

The [Jacksonville] Jaguars actually considered this year trading up back into the first round in a draft that a lot of people didn’t love to give away their first round draft pick next year, in the 2027 draft that everybody can’t wait for, and because that draft is so coveted and highly anticipated, they wanted the team that was getting their one next year to give them their one this year and an additional day two or three pick.

Adam Schefter told Mel Kiper and Field Yates on ESPN (HT/Black & Teal)

The Jaguars used their first pick (56th overall) on Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher. Gladstone also added Houston tight end Tanner Koziol, Stanford wide receiver CJ Williams, and Baylor WR Josh Cameron.

With that much added firepower in the offense only hints that the Jaguars fully intend to play Hunter at corner.

How was Travis Hunter’s college career?

Hunter graduated from high school as a five-star two-way prospect. Every major college program wanted Hunter to play for them. Initially, he thought about committing to Florida State but opted to play for one of the Seminoles’ best-ever players.

NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders had just become the head coach of the Jackson State Cowboys and invited Hunter to join him. Hunter accepted the offer. After one year, Sanders took the Colorado job, and Hunter followed him to Boulder County.

In three years of college football, Hunter racked up 171 receptions for 2167 yards and 24 touchdowns as a receiver. In the defense, he registered 80 combined tackles, 3 TFLs, 22 passes defended, and 9 interceptions.

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