ESPN experts weigh in on 2025 NFL draft class, including Jaguars' Travis Hunter

ESPN's NFL experts recently weighed in on a number of NFL draft topics, and as you can guess, often included in the conversation was Jacksonville Jaguars' first-round pick Travis Hunter.

The first time we saw Hunter's name pop up in the article came in the "bold prediction" category. Dan Graziano wrote that he believes Hunter will finish top-three in Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

"I want to say he'll win both," Graziano wrote, "but that seems like a long shot even for him. I just love Hunter's abilities and want to get him into my predictions in some way."

Pamela Maldonado would say that Hunter will score a touchdown at least three different ways this season.

"Hunter will score a touchdown at least three different ways: receiving, rushing, fumble recovery or on a gadget play pass. He won't be on defense full-time, but he'll manage to break the game open with pure versatility."

Aaron Schatz's bold prediction for Hunter, however, wasn't as optimistic.

"Hunter won't have a single interception in his rookie season. I think he will get some playing time on the defensive side of the ball, but not as much as you might expect. He still has to adapt to being a starting wide receiver in the NFL before his role can expand further."

The Jaguars' plan with Hunter, at least in the early going, is to onboard him at the wide receiver position. Then, as the summer progresses, he will get more opportunities on defense.

My guess right now is that the majority of Hunter's snaps will come on offense, but he sees playing time on defense during obvious passing situations, where his impressive ball skills can be on display. So from a pure opportunity standpoint, I'm going to disagree with Schatz because I think Hunter will be in positions each week where there can be interception potential.

Another question that the experts were asked was their early pick for the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Kalyn Kahler selected Hunter.

"He is the kind of player who can thrive immediately," Kahler wrote. "Coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone clearly had a vision for this trade and I think we will see that in 2025."

The combination of Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. is really going to stress defenses. For one, you can't solely focus on one of them because the other is then going to be left in one-on-one situations. In addition to that, being able to move these two around the formation and their ability to attack all levels of the field in a variety of ways can be a real headache for opponents.

Lastly, when asked what each expert's favorite pick was, Maldonado selected Hunter for the Jaguars.

"This trade up was bold and exactly what this team needed," Maldonado wrote. "Hunter is a unicorn with his ability to be a shutdown corner and playmaker. His infectious energy could reinvigorate Jacksonville's entire locker room."

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2025 NFL draft: ESPN experts weigh in on Jaguars' Travis Hunter