Sunday's Jacksonville Jaguars versus New England Patriots matchup was a big one for second-year player Travis Hunter. Heading into the 2025 season, the second-overall pick had huge expectations placed on him for his NFL career as he was becoming the first official two-way player in the league in decades. However, his rookie season was somewhat of a disappointment as Hunter only played in seven games due to a season-ending LCL tear in his right knee.
Hunter played 36% of the defensive snaps in his rookie year, while playing in 67% of the offensive snaps. This season, though, the Jaguars decided to play Hunter almost exclusively as a cornerback with him occasionally appearing on the offensive side of the ball as a wide receiver. This game plan proved worth it on Sunday.
The Jaguars defense was thriving against the Super Bowl LX runner-up Patriots offense on Sunday, limiting them to just three points in the first half. At the end of the half, New England quarterback Drake Maye attempted to throw a touchdown pass, but it landed in the hands of Hunter in the end zone. This was Hunter's first official interception of his NFL career.
Understandably, Hunter immediately started celebrating with his teammates and even debuted an interception celebration dance. His teammates were pumped up to see Hunter finally get a pick. The Jaguars should elect to keep Hunter in as a cornerback for the majority of the snaps.
While being a two-way player is an incredible and rare feat, it's important for Hunter to develop and hone in on his skills rather than trying to better himself on both sides of the ball at the same time. It's obviously paying off so far.
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