When Jacksonville grabbed the Colorado standout with the No. 18 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, fans knew they were getting a literal unicorn. Well, not literal. But you get the point. However, even unicorns don’t get a free pass in the NFL. And now, for the first time in a long time, Travis Hunter is being tested—and that too, really hard.

After lighting it all up in his college career, he’s now knee-deep in NFL territory. A territory where the playbooks are thicker, the speed is faster, and the margin for error is not thin–it’s zero. HC Liam Coen and VP of Operations Tony Boselli recently peeled back the curtain, and let’s just say: Travis Hunter is facing something he has never faced before.

On Jaguars Happy Hour, Coen revealed what Hunter’s NFL grind is looking like. “He’s learning a complex offensive system with a ton of moving parts. He’s learning a brand new defence and also playing in the National Football League for the first time in his life.” The hype is real. Very real. But so is the learning curve.

Even for someone who thrived as both a corner and wideout at Colorado, the sheer complexity of the NFL playbook is an entirely different beast. But his intensity and endurance? Coen is a fan. “He’s learning to do something that not a lot of people have done,” Coen said. “He loves to compete… his endurance is kind of non-stop. But this is new.” So yes, he might have the physical potential, but to reach there? It’ll take some time.

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Hunter’s legendary stamina and two-way skillset turned heads at Colorado, where he played an eye-popping 118 snaps per game in 2023 under Coach Prime. And that workload? It’s almost unheard of, especially in college. But Jaguars are taking a more measured approach. It will take a while to manoeuvre him artfully into Coen’s system.

And VP Tony Boselli? Well, he shed some light on just how all-in the Jaguars are on making this experiment succeed. They know if they hit the right spots with him, he’ll be pivotal. “You’re trying to invent something that’s never existed,” he said. “To see Travis spend time on both the offence and the defence [in one practice] was a really good visual for us to see before we ever get to training camp,” he said. This is not simply about giving a rookie his opportunities; it’s an organisational investment. And for someone like Hunter? That’s exactly how it should be.

Don’t get it twisted, he isn’t guaranteed two-way snaps once September rolls around. Not just yet. But the Jaguars are laying all the required groundwork. “We’re providing that pathway… but it’s got to be earned,” Boselli added. Undoubtedly, earning those snaps this early will be no small feat. But how will his new role be different from what he had under Deion Sanders?

The fine line between the NFL and Sanders’ system

Let’s talk about it. Yes, Hunter was electric at Colorado under Sanders. But his role? It was built to let him shine. That system was all about big plays, not grinding through NFL-level reads or multiple positional schemes. Now? It’s a whole new world, and the league won’t be handing him cheat codes.

Hunter was phenomenal last season. 7 pass breakups, 3 picks, and 4 total touchdowns (2 receiving, 2 return) in just 10 games. But let’s not forget: those numbers came in a system built for flair and freedom. Deion’s scheme let Hunter fly around and play instinctively. The NFL? More robotic. And we don’t know how well Hunter would fit in a robotic structure.

That is precisely why Liam Coen and Tony Boselli are taking it slow. Sure, they’ve raved about Hunter’s maturity—how he brushes off mistakes, locks in, and fits right in with the vets. But they’re also realistic. This isn’t college anymore. Playing both ways in the NFL? We wouldn’t call it rare because it’s almost unheard of.

While Sanders’ approach allowed him to run free, the Jaguars are asking him to master control. As Coen put it, “He’s made some really good plays… but he’s continuing to have to learn as he goes.” Exactly. It’s the kid’s first season. Let him breathe. He’ll learn the system. It might take a while, but he will. So, beware, NFL.