Travis Hunter to Play 'Primarily' WR While Learning Defensive System, Jaguars HC Says

The Jacksonville Jaguars intend to have first-round pick Travis Hunter focus on offense during his initial transition to the NFL.

Following the first round Thursday night, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen told reporters he wants to use Hunter "primarily on offense" while having the rookie get familiar with the defensive scheme:

Jacksonville traded up in order to land the Heisman Trophy winner, sending the No. 5, 36 and 126 picks this year along with a 2026 first-rounder to the Cleveland Browns. Having paid that kind of price, it stands to reason the franchise will be creative with the Colorado product.

The Athletic's Michael Silver wrote the team "viewed Hunter as a two-way prospect" throughout the predraft process. The Jags hope to install "a package of plays featuring him as a cornerback" and that he can see his workload increase on defense if the experiment is working.

Getting quarterback Trevor Lawrence back on track is one of Coen's biggest objectives. The 2022 Pro Bowler has watched his development stall, and his 204.5 passing yards per game last year were a career low.

From that standpoint, putting Hunter at receiver makes sense. He caught 153 passes for 1,979 yards and 20 touchdowns in his two years at Colorado. The Jaguars made a massive addition to their passing game.

However, The Ringer's Todd McShay expressed some skepticism in February that the 21-year-old could evolve into a two-way player if he started as a wideout.

"I think he's a more advanced receiver and better receiver than he is a corner," he told The MMQB's Albert Breer. "But I don't see a scenario where he's a full-time receiver that you're working in packages as a corner. I think it's the reverse. I think he's rare. You have to have a plan. My plan would very likely be let's develop him as a corner and put in installs every week where we utilize him at wide receiver."

It would be a little disappointing if Hunter wound up being just a traditional receiver or corner given how special he was in college. If he emerges as an elite talent at one position, then that would still be enough to justify Jacksonville's aggressive play Thursday night.