Travis Hunter was supposed to be a superstar from the instant he stepped onto an NFL field.

Hunter came to the Jacksonville Jaguars as one of the most unique and special talents to enter the league in a long time. A legit two-way player in college at Colorado, Hunter was seen as having All-Pro potential at either wide receiver, cornerback, or both.

That is why the Jaguars were willing to give up the draft capital it took to move up for Hunter. They were one of the few teams willing to let Hunter play offense and defense in the NFL, and felt he carried the value of not one terrific player, but two.

Unfortunately, Hunter's ascent to superstardom wasn't as immediate as hoped. The Jaguars played him more at WR than CB, and his impact was less than expected. Then a knee injury ended his rookie year after only seven games.

Now healthy, Jacksonville is making cornerback Hunter's primary duty for this season, while only occasionally using him on offense. He has the potential to become a true shutdown CB, and the excitement for his potential on defense is palpable.

After what can only be described as a disappointing rookie campaign, there is a lot of pressure on Hunter to show his enormous potential this season.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN included the two-way phenom in his article naming the NFL players, coaches, and executives under the most pressure to succeed this year.

Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter was adamant that he wanted to continue playing both offense and defense for whichever team was lucky enough to draft him.

Some teams scoffed at the possibility. Jacksonville agreed and paid a king's ransom to move up from the fifth to the second pick to take him.

However, the Jaguars used Hunter mostly at WR. He saw a relatively decent number of snaps at CB, but it was nowhere near an equal split.

Now, Jacksonville is loaded at WR, and Hunter is returning from a serious injury. The Jaguars have plenty of good reasons to limit Hunter's workload and have him concentrate on CB.

Barnwell notes that, while most players on his list are under pressure due to contract issues or trying to keep their jobs, Hunter is facing a different kind of pressure. 

Barnwell believes how Hunter plays this season will determine his long-term chances to remain the two-way player he and the team hoped he would be, or if it will become obvious that his future is at one position or the other.

"Many of the players I've listed here are facing the possibility of earning (or missing out on) a huge contract over the next 12 months. Hunter, in Year 2 of his rookie deal, isn't even eligible to negotiate a new contract until 2028, so that's not the big concern here. He clearly has the ability to make it as a very useful player at the NFL level.

"Will that come on both sides of the ball? What happens in 2026 might play a huge role in determining how often we see the 2025 second overall pick mix things up at wide receiver. The Jaguars didn't seem to have a consistent plan for Hunter on defense last year, as he played fewer than 10 snaps twice and more than 40 snaps on two other occasions. He also topped 35 receiving yards just twice in seven starts, including a 101-yard game against the Rams before suffering a season-ending knee injury."

That seems to indicate that Barnwell is questioning whether Hunter has shown enough to continue to see significant snaps on offense, while he has barely scratched the surface of his potential on defense.

Now that Jacksonville is counting on him to be one of their best CBs, Hunter may become great enough on defense to justify the cost the team paid to draft him without the Jaguars needing him to play both positions.

Coach Liam Coen has stated publicly that Hunter will continue to see time at WR, but Barnwell thinks he must make a much bigger impact there for Jacksonville to risk having him play both positions regularly. However, Barnwell believes that if Hunter excels at WR this year, his long-term chances of remaining a full-time two-way player will remain on track.

"If Hunter can stay healthy and make an impact on both sides of the ball on a regular basis, his goal of being a two-way player should still be on track. If he gets hurt, or if the Jaguars aren't able to carve out a meaningful role on one side or the other for their most interesting player, he might be something closer to a full-time wide receiver or (more likely) cornerback in 2027."

Whether he is a wide receiver, cornerback, or both, won't matter if Hunter is unable to see the field.

The Jaguars number one priority with one of their franchise pillars is making sure he stays healthy. Coming off a knee injury, it seems like an unnecessary risk to expose Hunter to the workload of a full-time player on offense and defense.

Especially considering the Jaguars' enviable talent and depth at WR, it is smart to have Hunter focus on cornerback.

However, if Hunter's knee is no longer a concern, playing him at both WR and CB is still the only way for the team to maximize his talent.

How Hunter plays this season will go a long way into determining his long-term outlook.

That is a lot of pressure to put on a 23-year-old with only seven games of experience.