Former QB Throws Water on Hunter-to-Jaguars Hope

Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter could team up with Brian Thomas in a Jacksonville Jaguars uniform -- unless another team takes him before James Gladstone.

CU football standout athlete Travis Hunter flashes a No. 1 with his finger after a win against CSU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. / Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mock draft smoke for Travis Hunter to Jacksonville is billowing like an old locomotive on an uphill Colorado railroad. But some wonder whether rumors of that train, which would pair Hunter with Brian Thomas, is simply a smokescreen.

High-level NFL executives and scouts flocked to Coral Gables, Fla., on Monday for Cam Ward’s pro day. But considering the Titans’ moves during free agency, most believe Tennessee will make Ward the third player from the University of Miami to go No. 1 overall, joining Vinny Testaverde (1987) and Russell Maryland (1991).

The drama begins when Ward goes off the board, and the Jaguars are front-row observers – especially if Hunter is available when Jacksonville goes on the clock at No. 5. The key scenario as far as Jacksonville is concerned is whether the Browns (No. 2 overall) or Giants (No. 3) take Hunter’s Colorado teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Most mock drafts list Sanders, Hunter and Penn State’s Abdul Carter in some form or fashion over the next three selections, held respectively by Cleveland, the New York Giants and New England. And just before James Gladstone makes his first selection at No. 5, Eliot Wolf and the Patriots have pledged to take the best player available at No. 4.

E.J. Manuel understands the situation better than most. Now an ESPN analyst, the former quarterback from Florida State went No. 13 overall to Buffalo in the 2013 NFL Draft. And while the quarterback dominoes didn’t fall the Giants’ way this month, Manuel said Monday he still believes New York will make Jacksonville’s decision easy by taking Hunter at 3.

“I think you try to go veteran at quarterback this year,” Manuel said on Monday’s edition of Get Up, “only because Brian Daboll is in a situation where there has to be a sense of urgency to have a good year. I think he's coaching for his job this season, guys.”

The Giants signed free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston over the weekend. Whether Winston is a bridge to April or a bridge to saving the jobs of Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, Manuel thinks Hunter is their best option if the Browns leave the Heisman winner on the board.

“And yes, you can have Shedeur or you can have a young quarterback come in and try to groom him, but guys, that takes two or three seasons,” Manuel added.

“You're not wrong about taking Shedeur Sanders. I just think that's more of a long-term play that I don't know if Brian Daboll will be around for, truthfully, if they don't have a good season this year.”

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