One of the more remarkable elements of Liam Coen's first season in Jacksonville was how successful the team was despite getting very little from No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter. Had they selected one of the top defensive linemen or pass rushers, maybe we'd be talking about the AFC champs.
Hunter appeared in only seven games before landing on IR with a knee injury. His last game was his best -- 8 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown -- but a story last week makes it seem like those days will be few and far between going forward.
NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported that the current plan from the team for next year is to play Hunter as a full-time cornerback and part-time wide receiver. That's in stark contrast to how he was used as a rookie, playing 60-80 percent of his snaps on offense in each game, and more than 40 percent of the defensive snaps only twice.
This is just one report and it's early, so I don't think anyone should be giving up on Hunter as a future offensive star. But nor do I think anyone should be looking to acquire him in dynasty leagues, with seemingly decent odds that he just won't play enough offense to be a reliable starter.
Prior to getting hurt, Hunter's rookie season was a disappointment. The team couldn't quite figure how to unlock his ability, favoring short passes near the line of scrimmage that wound up going nowhere. Last year, 20 rookie wideouts had at least 20 passes thrown their way. Only four averaged fewer yards per target than Hunter (6.6), and three of them played for the worst offenses in the league.
| ROOKIE WIDE RECEIVERS, YARDS PER TARGET (2025) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Y/Tgt |
| Luther Burden, Chi. | 60 | 47 | 652 | 13.9 | 2 | 10.9 |
| Kyle Williams, N.E. | 21 | 10 | 209 | 20.9 | 3 | 10.0 |
| Isaac TeSlaa, Det. | 27 | 16 | 239 | 14.9 | 6 | 8.9 |
| Jaylin Noel, Hou. | 35 | 26 | 292 | 11.2 | 2 | 8.3 |
| Tetairoa McMillan, Car. | 122 | 70 | 1014 | 14.5 | 7 | 8.3 |
| Matthew Golden, G.B. | 44 | 29 | 361 | 12.4 | 0 | 8.2 |
| Jack Bech, L.V. | 29 | 20 | 224 | 11.2 | 0 | 7.7 |
| Jayden Higgins, Hou. | 68 | 41 | 525 | 12.8 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Pat Bryant, Den. | 49 | 31 | 378 | 12.2 | 1 | 7.7 |
| Isaiah Bond, Cle. | 44 | 18 | 338 | 18.8 | 0 | 7.7 |
| Tre Harris, LAC | 43 | 30 | 324 | 10.8 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Emeka Egbuka, T.B. | 127 | 63 | 938 | 14.9 | 6 | 7.4 |
| Tez Johnson, T.B. | 44 | 28 | 322 | 11.5 | 5 | 7.3 |
| Tory Horton, Sea. | 22 | 13 | 161 | 12.4 | 5 | 7.3 |
| Jaylin Lane, Was. | 32 | 16 | 225 | 14.1 | 0 | 7.0 |
| Travis Hunter, Jac. | 45 | 28 | 298 | 10.6 | 1 | 6.6 |
| Elic Ayomanor, Ten. | 89 | 41 | 515 | 12.6 | 4 | 5.8 |
| Chimere Dike, Ten. | 74 | 48 | 423 | 8.8 | 4 | 5.7 |
| Donte Thornton, L.V. | 30 | 10 | 135 | 13.5 | 0 | 4.5 |
| Konata Mumpfield, LAR | 23 | 10 | 92 | 9.2 | 1 | 4.0 |
I'm not giving up on Hunter. That last game sure was encouraging, and with Trevor Lawrence stepping up big-time the second half of the season, Hunter should return to a better offense than he left when he got hurt. I doubt Coen has given up on the idea of Hunter being a dynamic offensive playmaker.
But caution is advised. Some evidence that Hunter's offensive impact will be limited in 2026, either due to usage or the team's other wide receivers, with Parker Washington having a breakout second half and Brian Thomas and Jakobi Meyers also there. A lot of wide receivers selected after Hunter last year look like better fantasy investments.
--Andy Richardson
