Despite a rocky rookie campaign, Jacksonville’s two-way star earns glowing reviews from veteran teammates as he nears full recovery for a high-stakes revenge match against Cleveland.
While Travis Hunter has not yet lived up to the lofty expectations he had after winning the Heisman trophy, the No. 2 pick has not lost the confidence of his coaching staff or teammates.
Throughout the offseason, head coach Liam Coen, General Manager James Gladstone, and many of Hunter's teammates have gushed about his abilities, while confirming their belief in what he is capable of.
On Wednesday, veteran Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead joined SiriusXM NFL Radio, where he called Hunter the "most naturally talented athlete" he had ever played with.
This is extremely high praise from a player who has played high-level football for 11 seasons, suiting up next to guys like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Trent Williams.
Hunter, who the Jaguars traded up to get two drafts ago, showed flashes of his unique two-way talents throughout the season, but his injury was poorly timed.
According to Armstead, Hunter was just "starting to hit his stride" before his LCL tear, and believes the former No. 2 overall pick will pick up where he left off.
"Things will slow for him, just like they do for all of us. He’ll be going into his second year being in the same system, around the same coaches, and knowing what is asked of him," Armstead said. "We know how challenging that can be as a rookie just mastering one side of the ball, so I think in year 2 he’s going to take a huge step and help our team in a lot of different ways."
Hunter has begun to do some light work during the Jaguars' early OTA sessions, but has not yet been fully cleared.
However, all indications point towards him being ready for week 1 of the NFL season, where Jacksonville will host their AFC-rival Cleveland Browns.
Of course, this game carries more weight than just a simple season opener, as the Browns were the team who made the deal with the Jaguars and allowed them to draft Hunter.
In mid-April, I looked into an ESPN report that declared the Browns the early winner of the trade, citing Hunter's missed time and the Browns' additional draft picks' success.
While Mason Graham (taken fifth overall) and Quinshon Judkins (No. 36 overall) both had solid rookie seasons, Hunter's upside heavily outweighs their early head start.
Following the most recent NFL Draft, the Browns added KC Concepcion with the final compensation from the deal.
Judkins, Graham, and Concepcion all project as difference makers for years to come, but Hunter has real All-Pro potential on both sides of the ball.
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