Shannon Sharpe Shares Major Warning for Jaguars’ Travis Hunter

The Jacksonville Jaguars are more excited for the start of the upcoming 2025 NFL season than they have been for years. One of the main reasons for that excitement is due to the presence of rookie wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter.

Hunter was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after the Jaguars made an aggressive trade up for the pick with the Cleveland Browns.

Now, there is a lot of attention surrounding Hunter. One of the main reasons for that attention is the fact that he is going to attempt to play both the wide receiver and cornerback positions.

During his college career, Hunter was a two-way star. Not only was he able to play both sides, he was able to play both sides at an elite level.

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He’s hoping to replicate that success, but one NFL legend has shared a bold new warning for him.

In a segment on a recent episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, Shannon Sharpe spoke out about Hunter and dealt him a reality check. He’s not so sure that playing both offense and defense is going to go well for the young star.

“I think you can come in, you play DB and then they come and say ‘hey look, we need you (for) a couple of packages here, we need you in a red zone situation, we need you in a two-minute situation,'” Sharpe said. “But Ocho, you’ve been playing wide receiver and then all of a sudden they throw you out there at DB, and people don’t understand it, bro. The gap between college and pro (football) is bigger than the gap between high school and college.”

Sharpe continued on, revealing his belief that NFL players can’t wait to take advantage of Hunter for any weakness he has on either side of the ball.

“I think (Hunter) is phenomenal, he’s a phenomenal talent,” Sharpe said. “But those guys at that next level, I’m telling you, they’re waiting.”

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Throughout the 2024 college football season with the Colorado Buffaloes, Hunter excelled on both side of the ball. As a wide receiver, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded 35 total tackles, a forced fumble, four interceptions, and 11 defended passes.

While there is no question that Hunter enters the NFL with elite potential, he will need to prove his ability to play both ways. Should it not go well to start, he will need to be open to focusing on one side of the football.

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