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Travis Hunter - English
In one of the most surprising moves of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars made headlines when they traded up to the second overall pick to select two-way star Travis Hunter. So how did they do this? Their head coach reveals the secrets.
Despite widespread predictions that Hunter would end up in Cleveland following the Chicago Bears‘ selection of quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1, it was Jacksonville that made the decisive move, upending expectations across the league.
Liam Coen recently revealed the strategic maneuver managed to be pulled off without any leaks in the press, explaining just how they carefully orchestrated the trade with the Cleveland Browns.
“It was pretty consistent throughout that we wanted to keep quiet,” Coen said to The Pat McAfee Show. “Both organizations did a good job at keeping it professional, doing it the right way, and it all worked out for the best.”
The Jaguars‘ front office, led by their general manager James Gladstone, had begun discussions about acquiring Hunter nearly a month before the draft and Coen admitted the push for Travis wasn’t his idea.
“About a month prior to the draft, we started having conversations,” Coen explained. “James [Gladstone] came into our office, and he said, ‘Hey, what would you guys think if we could go and make this thing happen?’
“When you go through the evaluation process of Travis on both sides of the ball, you say, ‘Yeah, I would take him as a DB and as a receiver.'”
Jacksonville open to two-way role for Hunter at Jaguars
What makes Hunter such a compelling addition to the Jaguars is his elite ability to play on both sides of the ball. Though widely recognized for his work as a wide receiver, Hunter also demonstrated high-level performance as a defensive back at the collegiate level.
That versatility is precisely what drove Jacksonville to trade up and during the team’s offseason activities, including OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Hunter began the process of integrating into the team’s systems on both offense and defense.
Initially, he was kept on one side of the ball per session. However, in the final days of minicamp, the ex-Colorado Buffaloes star started practicing at both receiver and cornerback within the same session.
Coen emphasized that this progression was deliberate, reflecting the coaching staff’s intent to gradually increase his workload while avoiding unnecessary strain as they explore where he fits into Jacksonville best.
“That’s definitely what we have to build towards for training camp,” Coen continued. “And then obviously in season, knowing that during practice, he’s gonna have to do both.
“He wants to do it. It’s not as if it’s something where he can’t handle [it]. He wants to go and do that more. He wants more, and that’s a good thing.
“But ultimately, we have to also protect him from himself at times as well and make sure we get out of this phase healthy. But that is absolutely the plan moving forward.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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