The Las Vegas Raiders ended up taking running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even though he's off to as solid a start as he can be, given the state of the Las Vegas offense, it's fair to say that Raider Nation would have loved to take Travis Hunter if he were available.
After all, he was the Heisman Trophy winner after playing and starring at both cornerback and wide receiver for the Colorado Buffaloes. Many doubted his ability to play both ways at the NFL level, but not the Jacksonville Jaguars, who traded up in the first round to get him.
Through the first seven games of his professional career, it seems like Jacksonville's gamble has paid off. Now, the Raiders will get their first chance to face off against the multi-talented rookie, and it seems like all eyes in the building are on him ahead of the Week 9 matchup.
Raiders seemingly making Travis Hunter the focal point of Jaguars game plan
So far this season, Hunter has played 586 snaps. 324 of them have come on offense, for a snap share of 67%, and 162 of them have come on defense, for a snap share of 36%. In context, that means he's playing as much as Jeanty on offense, and far more than Darnay Holmes on defense.
Earlier this week, in a sit-down interview with JT The Brick, head coach Pete Carroll went on about Hunter's abilities. He even included a little tidbit about some of the conversations he had with Hunter during the pre-draft process.
"He's a tremendous athlete. He's not just a good, fast kid that can play ball. He's got great instincts. That's why he could play on both sides of the football," Carroll said. "I remember asking him in the combine, 'Are you worried about playing both ways?' He said, 'Heck no. I've always played both ways.' He wasn't even concerned about it. That's the guy that has the kind of savvy and awareness that makes him unique and special, and why they went so hard after getting him. ... Offensively, he did really well last week. He's not just a catch guy; he's a catch-and-run guy, and he blocked as well. He's got a good mentality about him."
Carroll was also asked during Wednesday's media availability if the Raiders liked Hunter during the pre-draft process and what their plans might have been for him.
"Oh, I did. Yeah, certainly. And I would have loved to have played him both ways, too. I would love to have had the chance to do that," Carroll said. "That's what we talked about in the interview, and he was right on it as far as the mentality that it would take to do something like that."
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Hunter was obviously correct in his belief to play both ways, as he's beginning to come out of his shell for the Jaguars' offense. He has 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown this season, but in the team's last game, Hunter caught 8 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, and was targeted 14 times.
Defensively, however, he has also thrived. In 120 pass coverage snaps, he's given up just 9 catches for 96 yards, and he also has three pass breakups. Hunter has also made 14 tackles and a run stop with just one missed tackle.
If he had played enough snaps to qualify, Hunter's 73.2 overall and 72.7 pass coverage grades from Pro Football Focus would rank 17th and 18th out of 113 cornerbacks, respectively. Geno Smith also detailed how great a player Hunter has already proven to be in the NFL.
"Man, he's an electrifying playmaker. He's got great ball skills, as you can see," Smith said. "He plays hard, loves the game; he's fearless. You can see that in the way that he plays. I just enjoy guys who love football, and he's really a guy who, I think, loves football. So, it'll be great to compete against him."
With such a dynamic player set to face the Raiders on both sides of the football, it makes sense that so many eyeballs in the building are on him. Las Vegas' chances of winning this Sunday may ultimately boil down to just how much success they can have against this transformational stud.