Travis Hunter drafted by Jaguars: Here's how Jacksonville plans to use two-way star after blockbuster trade

The Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a premium amount of draft picks to move up to No. 2 overall and select Travis Hunter. There's a reason why they pursued the two-way star. 

Per ESPN, the Jaguars plan to play Hunter on both sides of the ball -- giving him a heavy dose at wide receiver along with snaps at cornerback. Hunter doesn't have to be the WR1 in Jacksonville, as the Jaguars also have Brian Thomas Jr. heading into his second year. Thomas finished with 1,282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie season, finishing fourth in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. 

A West Palm Beach native, Hunter told NFL Network he hasn't spoken to the Jaguars since the NFL Scouting Combine.

NFL Draft mega-trade sends No. 2 pick Travis Hunter to Jaguars in deal with Browns

Jonathan Jones

Hunter will join Thomas in Jacksonville, giving the Jaguars one of the best young receiver duos in the NFL. He'll also help out a pass defense that gave up the most yards per game in the NFL last season (257.4). 

Hunter was the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997 (Woodson also played both ways, but was primarily a cornerback). Hunter played 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps last season, as he had the most total snaps in a season by any player (1,484) since at least 2017. 

Hunter has 19 career games with 30-plus offensive and defensive snaps. Dominant on both sides of the ball, Hunter finished with 96 catches for 1,258 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns at wide receiver. On defense, he finished with 11 passes defended and four interceptions. Hunter is the first cornerback selected in the top two in the common draft era (since 1967).