Jacksonville Jaguars' 2025 NFL Draft packed with bold moves, athleticism and Travis Hunter

Yahoo

15-05-2025

On a recently released teaser for the Jacksonville Jaguars' 'The Hunt' episodic Hard Knocks-like production, general manager James Gladstone and EVP of football ops. Tony Boselli walked the practice field at the Miller Electric Center 34 hours before the start of the first round of the NFL Draft, contemplating what was to come.
Moments after the video began, Gladstone gave senior vice president of football analytics Jake Temme a call, presumebly to gauge how he felt about what the franchise was discussing, making the bold move to trade up three spots in the first round and select a unicorn, potentially generational player in cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
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"How'd you do sleeping on things?" Gladstone asked Temme.
HUNTED: Jacksonville Jaguars 'making a statement' with Travis Hunter. It will speak loudly on future
"Nothing's changed for me. It's the right move, let's go," Temme responded, adding "we're going to draft a Hall of Famer with your first overall pick. Hey, it worked out pretty well for the Jags in the expansion draft," alluding to Tony Boselli, who was drafted by the Jaguars with the second-overall pick in the 1995 NFL expansion draft.
"Time will tell," Gladstone said before the teaser ended, later pulling off one of the boldest moves in Jaguars history, sending essentially just a 2026 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick to the Cleveland Browns, for the rights to acquire Hunter.
The rest is history, and the Jaguars went on to make eight more selections throughout the three-day affair. Putting a cap on the first draft under a new, bold leadership crew full of new ideas and genuine enthusiasm. A complete 180 from previous regimes.
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Though there are a couple more spots to fill on the team's 90-man roster (88 total, including undrafted free agents who agreed to terms moments after the draft ended), Gladstone felt good about what he and his team accomplished.
'Certainly appreciate such a collaborative effort from so many different people, from so many different departments to bring this to life, to make it felt like we were making the best decisions for the organization moving forward and really looking forward to what comes next and seeing the group of rookies get out on the grass with their teammates and begin making an impact here in Jacksonville," Gladstone said in the team's post-draft press conference.
The Jaguars felt as though the team acquired plenty of talent throughout the process, selecting from a variety of position groups, including defensive back, wide receiver, guard, center, linebacker, running back and EDGE rusher.
They did so with a confidence and intentionality that was put on display throughout the event.
Jaguars 2025 NFL Draft class led by Travis Hunter
Jaguars first-timers unlike expectation after savvy trades through first two days
Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, left, laughs with Head Coach Liam Coen, center, as explained what he was bringing to the table during a press conference Monday morning February 24, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. as Head Coach Liam Coen, right, listened as Jacksonville Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli cracked a joke during a press conference introducing Gladstone. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]2025
For a trio of rookies in their respective roles, Gladstone, Coen and Boselli didn't seem it with how they parsed through and manipulated the draft in their favor.
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The team's afformentioned bold move to acquire Hunter notwithstanding, Gladstone and Co. also pulled off a couple of other savvy moves to add to the team's arsenal, giving them flexibility to get the players they wanted.
On Day 2 of the draft, Jacksonville executed two trades. The first was to trade down from the team's original third-round pick (No. 70 overall). They gave the Detroit Lions No. 70, a sixth-round pick (No. 182) and a 2026 sixth-round pick to acquire two 2026 third-round selections (one "compensatory") and a third-round pick (No. 102) in the '25 draft.
The Jaguars still had pick No. 88, originally acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade down from pick 17 to 23 (Brian Thomas Jr.) during the 2024 NFL Draft. They selected Tulane defensive back Caleb Ransaw with the selection.
The team made another trade, though, trading up from pick No. 102 to 89 with the Houston Texans to acquire offensive lineman Wyatt Milum. Jacksonville gave up a fifth-round pick (No. 142) in addition to No. 102 and also received an extra seventh-round selection (No. 236) from Houston.
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The execution of the three major trades left Jacksonville with nine picks in this year's draft after entering the event with 10. It also gave Jacksonville more ammo for next year's draft (11 total picks) in the event they want to move up from their second-round selection and into the first round after trading away their original selection for Hunter.
Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft pick Travis Hunter (with uniform No. 12) poses with team management after his first news conference on April 25 at the Miller Electric Center. From the left are team executive vice-president for football operations Tony Boselli, hunter, coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone.
From there, they worked to fill the roster with experienced players who can hit the grass running, so to speak.
Jaguars emphasize experience, love of football in NFL Draft
The Jaguars utilized all the tools at their disposal to acquire players that fit their formula, something Gladstone has referred to in the past as the "Jaguar DNA."
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Besides Hunter, all of the team's draft picks attended the Senior Bowl this year, gaining exposure from the All-Star circuit, something Gladstone said the team wanted to leverage, getting to see them in practice and then in the game. But it was what the players were willing to do that separated them.
"So many of the guys that are willing to do more than what the norm might be, right? Many are tapping out before they ever get to the game," Gladstone remarked.
The Jaguars wanted players who were willing to put in the extra work. That's what they saw from former Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser, taken by Jacksonville in the fourth round (pick No. 107).
Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrates after a sack against the Virginia Cavaliers in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Gladstone noted that Kiser was willing to play safety at the Senior Bowl, a position he wasn't familiar with at all, demonstrating his love for the game of football.
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That was seen last year, too, when Gladstone was with the Rams. The team selected former FSU defensive lineman Braden Fiske in the second round. Fiske opted to play on both teams during the game that week after many players opted out.
"These are guys that love the game of football regardless of if it might put them in a compromising position in the eyes of evaluators and decision makers by playing too many snaps or playing out of position, et cetera. These guys love ball, and that's what we're hunting up," Gladstone said.
The Jaguars also valued experience among their draftees. Excluding Hunter, all of Jacksonville's drafted players played in at least 39 games at the collegiate level, with Kiser playing in the most at 69.
Though Gladstone didn't want to go as far as to say it was something the team was prioritizing, experience, it is something the team leaned into.
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"You can look back to some of the recent drafts that I've been a part of, and that's typically been the case because those guys walk in the door, and they're fairly close to ready," Gladstone siad.
"I think because of the nuances that come with this game, reps are something that are important. Obviously with the guys that have done it for a little bit longer of a runway, it caters to that.'
Versatility stands out as a theme among Jaguars draft picks
AUBURN, AL - March 12, 2024 - Auburn Jack Linebacker Jalen McLeod (#35) during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin Perryman
With experience comes opportunity to play in various roles and Jacksonville's rookies took advantage of that, with Jacksonville leaning into versatility throughout the process.
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Though it wasn't made explicitly apparent during the press conferences, both Coen and Gladstone mentioned versatility numerous times when speaking about the players selected.
Hunter's versatility is well-documented, but most of the rest of the team's picks also have ability to play multiple spots.
Ransaw, the team's third-round pick, will play safety with Jacksonville, but can play inside or outside at cornerback. Milum, another third-round pick, made 35 starts at left tackle and eight starts at right tackle at Virginia Tech and will play guard at the next level. Kiser showcased some versatility at the Senior Bowl after taking reps at safety.
The team's first sixth-round pick, McLeod, is a do-it-all pass rusher who will line up across the formation in Jacksonville, on and off-ball. And the team's first seventh-round pick, Monheim, played nearly all five positions on the offensive line at USC, including 18 starts at right tackle, 12 at left tackle, 12 at center and four at right guard.
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Now, they hope to hit the grass running when rookie minicamp takes place in a couple of weeks.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Travis Hunter headlines first Jaguars draft under Gladstone, Coen