Ever since the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to draft Travis Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick, the team has insisted the Heisman Trophy winner will play both offense and defense in the NFL. Yet, coaches and ownership have been tight-lipped about the details of this two-way plan, fueling offseason speculation.
Fans received their first concrete answer on Wednesday when Hunter exclusively practiced with the offense on the first day of training camp. However, head coach Liam Coen said the plan is for Hunter to practice equally on offense and defense by next week.
“You want to give him a couple days offense, a couple days defense, and then give him an opportunity to go flip-flop within the same practice. Then that will kind of become the norm,” Coen said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “Every moment, every minute that he is in the building, it is accounted for and trying to make sure that we maximize his time, our time so that we can ultimately get the best outcome.
“That’s too long to kind of go without doing anything on maybe the other side of the ball,” Coen added. “So we learned something there, and also, within these blocks where we’re kind of three days on with an off day [during training camp], it allows us to map it out maybe a little bit cleaner and give him more opportunities. But every single day that he is on one side of the ball, he will meet with the other side of the ball at least once, maybe twice, as well.”
Jags’ Offensive Coordinator Discusses Hunter as a WR
Appearing on the NFL Spotlight With Ari Meirov podcast, Jacksonville’s new OC Grant Udinski called Travis Hunter “an injection of energy.”
“What you see on TV of him dancing around or bringing the juice and all that energy at practice, that is genuine, that’s the real deal right there,” Udinski added.
When asked about Hunter balancing both sides of the ball, Udinski said:
“Like Liam [Coen] said, I know he’s mentioned it multiple times, [Hunter] can run all day. So he’s out there excited about practice, and he’s practicing hard for the entire time he’s practicing. So, that’s exciting for me as a coach to be a part of that, let alone to have a guy like that to get to work with.
“I’m excited about the challenges of splitting time between offense, defense, and the many different roles that he’ll play on our team. If there’s a guy that can do it, I’m excited about seeing him approach that challenge.”
What’s Travis Hunter’s Fantasy Outlook
Travis Hunter’s fantasy football value remains a question mark heading into the season. Despite analysts like NFL.com’s Dan Parr picking Hunter as the Rookie of the Year favorite, fans appear cautious that Hunter will see a limited offensive snap count.
According to FantasyPros, Hunter’s average draft position is No. 71 overall and No. 33 for wide receivers. That’s behind fellow rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan.
That said, Hunter’s dynasty rankings reflect the excitement surrounding the former Colorado Buffaloes’ star. His average selection is No. 30 overall and No. 16 at wide receiver in dynasty leagues. However, even this draft position might end up being too low if the Jags remain committed to giving Hunter significant snaps on offense and defense.
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