The Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a lot to be able to draft Travis Hunter.

Coming out of Colorado, Hunter was a rare, full-time two-way player who could be both an All-Pro-level wide receiver and an All-Pro cornerback. He was thought of as a special talent who would become a franchise cornerstone for whichever team drafted him.

Jacksonville gave up picks 5, 36, and 126 last year, as well as its first-round pick this year, to move up three spots to be that team.

During his rookie year, the Jaguars used Hunter mostly at wide receiver until a knee injury ended his season after just seven games. This year, the team plans to use him primarily as a cornerback, with the expectation that he can become one of the best in the league.

After an injury-plagued rookie season, Hunter is under an enormous amount of pressure to perform in 2026.

In fact, Hunter was named by PFF as one of the league's second-year players under the most pressure this season.

Hunter had so much hype coming into the NFL that PFF wonders if he ever will be able to live up to the massive expectations that followed him into the league. However, PFF believes Hunter can justify the massive price the Jaguars paid to draft him if he can become either a dominant corner or wide receiver. 

With Jacksonville looking to earn respect by proving the team is more than a one-year wonder, Hunter must become the superstar the Jaguars drafted him to be.

"Playing both ways in the NFL is a landmark achievement in and of itself, which Hunter accomplished as a rookie. However, the former Colorado star will be counted on to elevate his performance that much further in 2026.

"Just seven games into his rookie campaign, Hunter suffered a torn LCL. During his more limited rookie sample size, Hunter displayed his high-echelon cornerback skills with a 72.7 PFF coverage grade and 78.8 passer rating when targeted across 120 coverage snaps. Yet the Heisman Trophy winner wasn’t quite as dynamic as a wideout, accruing a 62.7 PFF receiving grade and 1.32 yards per route run on offense.

"Given that Hunter was viewed as a transcendent prospect, the reality is that it may never be completely possible to fully satisfy pre-draft expectations. But as he recovers from his knee injury, Hunter will need to either assert more consistent dominance at corner or become more efficient as an offensive weapon in order to justify the Jaguars’ significant draft trade-up. Even with a talented roster returning, Jacksonville will rely on the former second overall pick to play like a game-changer this season."

PFF is right. Hunter has the talent to be one of the NFL's best, either as a receiver, cornerback, or both. Jacksonville is depending on him to be one of the franchise's cornerstone players as it looks to enter a new era of sustained success.

Most of the teams hoping to draft Hunter last year wanted him to focus on only one position in the NFL. Jacksonville, on the other hand, had every intention of allowing him to remain a full-time player on both offense and defense.

However, in his seven games, Hunter was used much more often on offense, though PFF graded him much higher defensively. Now the Jags are counting on him becoming their CB1 in 2026 while only using him occasionally as a receiver.

Perhaps suffering a serious injury as a rookie gave Jacksonville long-term concerns about Hunter's health if overused. Maybe the strength of the Jaguars' receiver room, even without Hunter, makes playing him on offense full-time an unnecessary risk.

Whatever the reason, Hunter may never get the chance to be both a full-time cornerback and a full-time receiver. However, he doesn't need to be to become one of the NFL's top players.

No matter how his playing time is divided, Hunter must excel in 2026. The pressure on him to be great is massive, and Jacksonville will need him to be if they hope to make it to the team's first Super Bowl.

Hunter has the talent to be the best player on the field whether it is on offense or defense. He must prove it during his second season.

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