The Jacksonville Jaguars made a franchise-altering move on Thursday.
New GM James Gladstone wanted to begin his tenure with a bang, and so he did.
He paid a steep price, but that’s what you have to do if you want to get your hands on a unique player like Travis Hunter.
Notably, that also most likely means that they will allow him to do what he wants, which is to play heavy snaps on both sides of the field.
At least, that’s how Dane Brugler feels.
Talking on the Ross Tucker Podcast, the renowned analyst argued that the Jaguars may have solved their two biggest needs with a single pick:
“The two biggest needs on [the Jacksonville Jaguars] were corner and then somebody that’s going to help Trevor Lawrence,” Brugler said. “They feel like they addressed those two big needs with one player. You don’t draft Travis Hunter where you did unless you’re going to play him both ways and you have a plan in place for how to do that.”
“You don’t draft Travis Hunter where you did unless you’re going to play him both ways AND you have a plan in place for how to do that.”@dpbrugler on what to expect from the Jaguars top pick: pic.twitter.com/ns8VVGWIcj
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) April 30, 2025
Hunter is a unique talent, and having him and Brian Thomas Jr. with new head coach Liam Coen should do wonders for Trevor Lawrence.
The former No. 1 pick has left plenty to be desired in his time in the league, but he’s shown glimpses of greatness at times, and the talent is most definitely there.
Hunter wants to be the first full-time two-way player in modern NFL history, and while that might not be realistic or even in his best interests, he will most definitely have plenty of opportunities to showcase his skills in Florida.
Not so long ago, the Jaguars looked like a team on the rise with a bright future and a chance to compete for the division every single year.
That might not necessarily be the case anymore, but sometimes, all a team needs is a special player and a big move to turn things around.
