NFL offseason power rankings: No. 22 Jacksonville Jaguars start bold new era with Travis Hunter pick
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The trade value chart said the Jacksonville Jaguars were crazy.
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Jacksonville traded the fifth pick of the NFL Draft, a second- and fourth-round pick in 2025 and a 2026 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the second overall pick, a fourth- and sixth-round pick. It was a severe overpay by any chart you can find. However, the Jaguars saw Travis Hunter as a unique, game-changing prospect. So they got him, no matter the cost.
Maybe that's a good thing. The Jaguars might benefit from not following the same charts as everyone else. Jacksonville has zero Super Bowl appearances, only two playoff berths since the 2007 season and many years of being practically anonymous in the NFL. It hasn't gotten very far by following the book.
The Jaguars shocked the NFL with the trade. New GM James Gladstone, just 34 years old and from the aggressive Los Angeles Rams' front office, boldly told Jaguars fans about the move: "Don't be scared. This is something I'm uniquely positioned to navigate." The move might turn out to be less about Hunter himself and more about a changing mentality in a sad-sack franchise.
"It's a statement for how we plan to move, who we are," Gladstone said, via the team's site.
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It has been a hard few years for the Jaguars. In 2020, they had a 1-15 season and fired Doug Marrone. It didn't seem like it could get any worse than that, but then the Jaguars made the laughable decision to hire Urban Meyer, who is now on a short list of the worst coaches in NFL history. Doug Pederson was brought in, and while the Jaguars weren't a complete laughingstock like they were with Meyer, Pederson looked like a tired retread by the end. Then the Jaguars had another embarrassing episode this offseason, keeping around general manager Trent Baalke when everyone said he needed to go, then firing him a few weeks later in the middle of a coaching search.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan has been terrible at running the team, but he made two hires that seem inspired. Gladstone is young but he had nine seasons with the Rams before he was hired as Jaguars GM. New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen might not be good at a "Duval" chant, but he had an excellent season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator and perhaps can get Trevor Lawrence to the level everyone was hoping he'd be at already.
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"I really like it," Lawrence said of the Jaguars' offense, via Jaguars Wire. "It has a lot of answers. It's great. It puts a lot on the players, you have to know your stuff, but it gives you all the answers."
The Jaguars have talent. Brian Thomas Jr. is coming off an excellent rookie season and was an egregious Pro Bowl snub. Not many teams have a better pass-rush duo than Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun are two of the best linebackers in the NFL. Tyson Campbell is a pretty good cornerback and former Cowboys corner Jourdan Lewis was a strong addition to the secondary. Lawrence was one of the best quarterback draft prospects ever, and he has shown a few flashes. And Hunter could end up being a special, historic player.
Maybe Gladstone's approach will work, or perhaps he'll flame out fast. But after years of failure, at least the Jaguars are trying something different.
Offseason grade
The Travis Hunter trade will be debated for a long time. Hunter has a Hall of Fame ceiling in the NFL and he might have to hit that to justify what the Jaguars gave up to get him. But the Jaguars had conviction. While that move was daring, the rest of the offseason wasn't too crazy. Offensive linemen Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsey, cornerback Jourdan Lewis, safety Eric Murray and receiver Dyami Brown were the main free agent additions, and none of them cost more than $12.5 million per season. The big loss was tight end Evan Engram, but the team should feel that Brenton Strange can replace most of his production. The rest of the Jaguars draft was solid, and keep an eye on running back Bhayshul Tuten, a fourth-round pick who could be a big factor by season's end. Overall, the Jaguars seemed to get better.
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Grade: B+
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to draft wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the second pick of the NFL Draft. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Quarterback report
If Trevor Lawrence wasn't viewed as a chosen one before the draft, and was picked later in the first round or beyond the first round, would he have a five-year, $275 million contract? Would he even be an unquestioned starter in the NFL? Lawrence has a career rating of 85, which isn't far ahead of Daniel Jones' mark of 84.3. Over his last two seasons, Lawrence has 32 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. The Jaguars are 20 games under .500 in Lawrence's starts, and while a team's record isn't a quarterback stat, Lawrence hasn't lifted the Jaguars. The Jaguars are still chasing what they thought Lawrence would be coming out of Clemson.
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The reasons for optimism are Lawrence's draft pedigree, a very good stretch in the second half of the 2022 season, the thought that the Jaguars' utter dysfunction has held Lawrence back and Lawrence being just 25 years old. This season, Lawrence will have Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter to throw to, and a new offensive-minded head coach in Liam Coen. If he doesn't have a big season, it's probably never going to happen.
BetMGM odds breakdown
From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: 'It's a big year for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars under new head coach Liam Coen. Jacksonville pulled off a stunning draft-day trade, moving up to No. 2 to take Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter. Hunter will bring excitement to a team with a win total of 7.5 at BetMGM, and one that has gone under its total in six of the past seven seasons. The Jaguars are favorites in only six games this season, but I think this team is a bit undervalued. I'd look to play the over 7.5 wins."
Stat to remember
The Jaguars didn't have much luck in close games last season. They were 3-10 in games decided by seven points or less and 1-4 when they were decided by three points or less. Taking on 10 losses in close games isn't normal. It wasn't all bad luck. Coaching matters in close games and the Jaguars weren't getting much of that. Quarterback play is a big factor too, and Trevor Lawrence missed seven games due to a shoulder injury and a concussion. Lawrence didn't play that well when he was healthy either. The 2024 Jaguars weren't very good, but their season would have looked a lot better with a neutral record in close games instead of having the NFL's most losses in one-score games. It's a reason to believe the Jaguars could rebound in 2025.
Burning question
What will Travis Hunter's career look like?
Not many players have played both ways in the NFL over the last 60 years. It's also fair to note the modern college game hasn't experienced anyone like Hunter, who won a Heisman Trophy by playing nearly full time at receiver and cornerback at Colorado. Maybe he's just different than everyone else, truly the Shohei Ohtani of football.
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What impact will Hunter have in the NFL? It's hard to say because there's practically nobody to compare him to.
"There are players who have the capacity to alter a game. There are players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of a team. There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport itself," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said. "Travis, while he has a lot to still earn in our eyes, has the potential to do just that."
The Jaguars are starting Hunter off primarily as a receiver, but they have plans to use him on defense too. Given what they paid to move up to draft Hunter, he better be playing both ways. It didn't take long for the Jaguars to see Hunter's exceptional ball skills on offense and defense. The urge to push his limits will be there all season.
"'Milo' [secondary coach Ron Milus] came up to me after practice and said, 'Can we have him more?''' Liam Coen said after an OTA practice, via the team's site. "That's a good thing."
Hunter will probably play more snaps than any other player this season and if it goes well, he'll lead the league in that category for many years to come.
Best-case scenario
Half of the last eight NFL Coach of the Year winners were first-year coaches who took their teams to unexpected playoff berths (Sean McVay, Matt Nagy, Kevin Stefanski, Brian Daboll). Why can't that be Liam Coen this year? Coen did a fantastic job with the Buccaneers' offense last season. The previous regime for the Jaguars was going through the motions. There will be a new energy this season, and Travis Hunter has a lot to do with that as well. Baker Mayfield had 41 touchdown passes in Coen's offense last season and while that's a lofty goal, Travis Lawrence can cruise past his career best of 25 touchdowns with improved coaching and strong weapons around him. Coen isn't in Jacksonville solely to fix the passing game; he can do wonders for a rushing offense that was often disjointed last season. The Jaguars can absolutely take a huge leap, like the 2024 Commanders, 2023 Texans or any other out-of-nowhere team to make the playoffs. It's not like the AFC South is that daunting. The Jaguars being one of the NFL's most exciting teams, Trevor Lawrence breaking out, Travis Hunter winning an Offensive Rookie of the Year award and Jacksonville winning the division while Coen is the latest rookie to win Coach of the Year is all on the table.
Nightmare scenario
If Trevor Lawrence isn't a top 10 quarterback this season, where does that leave the Jaguars? Given that $200 million of Lawrence's contract was guaranteed and he has a no-trade clause, the Jaguars are probably married to Lawrence through at least the 2028 season, for better or worse. Through four seasons, Lawrence has rarely looked like one of the league's best quarterbacks. If a new coach and two exciting receivers can't unlock anything new, it will be hard to buy that it'll happen later on. Maybe the Jaguars will continue to perpetually be a bottom-end franchise. Liam Coen had just one season running a top-end NFL offense and we also don't know if he can handle being a head coach. The Jaguars' 4-13 record last season wasn't just bad luck; there are holes on the roster. It's possible Jacksonville will be stuck in its rut for a lot longer.
The crystal ball says
The ranking might not reflect it — the Jaguars come into this season with a lot to prove — but this is a team that has a lot of breakout potential. Often, NFL teams that improve suddenly are led by first-time head coaches taking over from a previous staff that wasn't getting much out of its players. Liam Coen might be a massive upgrade for the Jaguars, though he'll have to show he can be an NFL head coach. There's enough talent to have a very productive passing game. The defense has a long way to go, but there are talented players on that side. The AFC South isn't that tough, unless the Texans rebound to what they were in 2023. I'm quite optimistic for this Jaguars team and think they can be a surprise division winner. They might move far up the power rankings very early this season.
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