JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars held Day 2 of 2025 rookie minicamp Saturday.
Four Jaguars media members – senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton, senior reporter/editor J.P. Shadrick and team reporter/producer Kainani Stevens – shared an observation following practice. Here they are:
Senior Writer John Oehser: Not every May NFL practice is memorable and cool, but Day 2 of Jaguars 2025 rookie minicamp at the Miller Electric Center was both – not only because of Travis Hunter, but also because the Jaguars are doing things right these days. Hunter, a wide receiver/cornerback selected by the Jaguars No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, unsurprisingly stood out during Saturday's non-contact, unpadded work. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner is a high-end, electric, dynamic athlete with superstar magnetism – and even in a difficult-to-evaluate minicamp environment with little "real football" happening, it's an easy evaluation to say he has special qualities. What was notable about this weekend was that fans got to see those qualities for themselves, with the team opening practice to season-ticket holders on Friday – and to fans in general on Saturday. That gave fans a chance to see not only Hunter, but the positive momentum happening around the organization this offseason. Not every NFL team opens rookie minicamp practice. The Jaguars in recent offseasons have not done so. But this regime – led by Head Coach Liam Coen, General Manager James Gladstone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli – believes in letting the fans embrace this team. They consistently have backed that belief with action, and Saturday was yet another example. Cool stuff. Kudos to those who made it happen. Memorable day.
Senior Correspondent Brian Sexton: Almost all eyes were on Hunter on Saturday. I decided to watch the other end of the field and my eyes were fixed on offensive lineman Wyatt Milum for most of the hour-long workout. While it's hard to tell anything about offensive linemen until the pads go on in late July, Milum looks the part. He's tall, broad and well-built for a guy who is going to make the move inside after a career at West Virginia playing offensive tackle. I like to think that after 30-plus years of watching rookies work out in shorts and helmets that I know what I'm looking at. He checks all the boxes, and just watching him hit the bags and interact with the coaching staff, there is no reason not to pencil him in as a starter come September. I get that the previous regime committed a significant amount of money to Ezra Cleveland. But that was then. The new crew in charge is much more likely to want to get Milum into the game; after all, they believe he has the physical and mental makeup to be a long-term starter in Jacksonville. All that from an hour-long workout in May.
Senior Reporter/Editor J.P. Shadrick: The excitement of the Jaguars' fan base was on full display Saturday as the Jaguars rookies wrapped up the on-field portion of rookie minicamp. Hunter was the star attraction, of course, with most of his catches followed by cheers from the sold-out crowd. Head Coach Liam Coen after practice said that Hunter will start doing on-field defensive work next week with the veterans in Phase 2 of the offseason program, as he only worked on offense the first two days. Coen also said that a bulk of practice was to teach the rookies how to huddle and how to hear an actual cadence – as the majority came from no-huddle or silent-count offenses, the state of affairs in much of college football these days.
Team Reporter/Producer Kainani Stevens: Rookie minicamp isn't the most riveting time of the offseason, but it does signify that real football is nearing closer. The debut of General Manager James Gladstone's inaugural draft class drew 2,000 Jaguars fans eager to see the newest additions to their team. Hunter arrived as advertised on Friday after receiving his diploma from the University of Colorado on Thursday. His speed is evident, and his vivacious personality is already shining through. Coaches focused on the basics with the rookies this week and getting them up to snuff as quickly as possible. I'm looking forward to seeing the rookies get integrated with the vets next week as offseason workouts continue.
