JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Travis from High Springs, FL

Before the draft, the Jaguars' higherups stated that the passing game would run through wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Do you believe that was a true statement or a smokescreen not to tip off the Travis Hunter move?

Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie in 2024 and has the look/feel of a long-term No. 1 receiver. When discussing the passing game before the 2025 NFL Draft, what else should the team have said except that the passing game was running through Thomas? Remember, too: While the Jaguars knew before the draft they wanted to trade up with the Cleveland Browns to select wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter No. 2 overall, they didn't know for sure the Browns would make the trade until the Tennessee Titans selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward No. 1 overall. Until a trade is made it's not made and until a selection is made it's not made.

Randy from Jax

Every year a team goes from worst to first. Who has the best chance this year? I don't see anybody outside the San Francisco 49ers.

We as a collective football viewership often base these sorts of expectations on familiar names and recent results. The 49ers are a logical worst-to-first choice in 2025 because they were very good for a long stretch and then somewhat surprisingly struggled last season. It's therefore easy to envision them again being good whereas it's not so easy to envision another last-place team such as the Los Angeles Raiders and Browns reemerging as a power. Either way, recent NFL history tells us another 2024 last-place team indeed will be in the 2025 postseason. My choice? I'll go with the Chicago Bears because for this question one projection seems as good as the next.

Kevin from Jacksonville

Travis Hunter does not weigh 165 pounds. He weighed 188 pounds at the NFL Combine, and I believe that's public record, John.

OK.

Josh from Atlanta, GA

In the spirit of Travis being such a freak athlete, who would you say are the three greatest athletes you have ever seen play or covered?

I'll stick with athletes in the NFL I've covered on a daily basis. I'll go with Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders, Jaguars running back Fred Taylor and Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison because of the things they could do naturally that other athletes made look hard or couldn't do at all. Sanders' combination of speed and power transcended his position – and Taylor had a rare combination of size, speed, quickness and power for his position. Harrison's quickness, precision, body-control and hand-eye coordination enabled him to make plays seem routine that for others would be impossible. Other players are in the conversation. Those three are prominent in it.

Jags4life from Canton, GA

Correction to Charles from Riverside's post about Travis Hunter's weight. Hunter is listed at 185 not 165. Eight pounds is not a big difference from the 193 average. I suspect he will add a little weight.

I expect so, too.

Randy from Jax

I met Fred Weary (cornerback Florida Gators/New Orleans Saints) when he was a high school wide receiver switching to cornerback for college. He said cornerback was more of a challenge because the ball's not thrown to you and you get to do the hitting instead of getting hit.

I know Weary well, having covered him in high school and having covered his first spring "jamboree" – when he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the first play in Mandarin High School history. I also covered Weary at the University of Florida. I've talked to a lot of cornerbacks who also insist corner is more difficult than wide receiver because the intent of the play is to make a cornerback fail as opposed to the intent of the play being to make a wide receiver succeed.

David from Sweden

If Travis Hunter plays both ways this season and possibly the next, then he and the team decide that he should focus on one side of the ball and he becomes a perennial All-Pro on that one position, would the pick and the trade then be "worth it?"

The Jaguars have had just one "perennial All-Pro" of note, and that's left tackle Tony Boselli from 1997-1999. Boselli, now the team's Executive Vice President of Football Operations, is the best player in franchise history. Your scenario therefore would make Hunter one of a handful of players in the conversation for best player in franchise history. As a perennial All-Pro selection, he also likely would have a good chance for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When a player is wearing a gold jacket and giving a speech in Canton, Ohio, it's hard to argue he wasn't worth what it costs a team to draft him.

Jim from Neptune Beach, FL

O, all the talk about Travis' weight makes me recall the same sort of chatter about former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. He was light for a running back, but I don't remember the exact weight. He killed us, and at the running back spot, he must have taken a lot of hits. Let's face it, elite speed is ... well ... elite.

There are rules and there are exceptions to rules. Johnson's elite speed for a time made him an exception. Hunter is trying to do something many old-school football people don't think he can do, so he also must be an exception. Being an elite athlete gives him a chance to be an exception. Will he be an exception? That's why we watch.

Jag4life from Canton, GA

It's not always about coaching, sometimes it's about General Managering! Just sayin.

Fair.

Bradley from Sparks, NV

Do you think the Jags would be satisfied if Hunter ends up being a long-term top 10 (full time) receiver and a defensive back that performs at a high level but only in very specific scenarios perhaps 15 percent of snaps?

I suppose my mind's a little fuzzy from trying to pick apart every possible detail of every possible scenario involving Hunter and the next decade of Jaguars football. The Jaguars believe Hunter can be an elite player. They believe he can make game-changing, season-shaping plays at both cornerback and wide receiver. They believe he can reshape the sport. Where must he rank and specifically how much he must play to achieve those things? I don't know exactly the percentages and production level he must reach. But if he's a star and he helps this team emerge as a long-term playoff contender – if he moves the franchise toward consistent relevance – I expect most observers will see it as a good selection. I expect in that scenario the Jaguars would be "satisfied."

Jeremy from Wise, VA

Kenneth from Ocala asked "top 5 sitcoms"...you had LETTERKENNY at 2....FERDA

Can confirm.

Sammy Chihuahua from Jax Beach

If Hunter is truly a magical, mystical player who's going to redefine the future of the National Football League, then why didn't the Browns draft him? It's not like they were stacked at wide receiver or defensive back and could afford to pass on a unicorn.

I don't know the answer to this. One reason for this is I don't cover the Cleveland Browns. I can tell you how the Jaguars view Hunter. I can't tell you if they are correct in viewing him this way. That's what the next few seasons will tell us.

Roger from Whitehouse, Fl

John, everyone worried about Hunter playing corner and receiver forgot about Troy Brown.

Troy Brown indeed played a key role for the New England Patriots in 2004 as an "emergency" defensive back after having played mostly wide receiver to that point in his career. Yes, playing offense and defense in spots or for a short stretch has been done in the NFL in recent decades. Hunter is trying to do it extensively for a long time.

Travis from Chattanooga via Ormond Beach

Loved that you had "Letterkenny" listed so highly! Have you caught "Shoresy" yet? In some ways it's even better than "Letterkenny". Also, speaking of hockey, gotten into the NHL playoffs yet? Panthers look to be making another run!

I've watched Shoresy Season One. I'm getting ready to indulge fully. I have watched/am watching the NHL playoffs. Edmonton from this view will be really tough to beat.

Jason from North Pole, AK

Regarding first impressions in rookie camp, correct me if I am wrong, but long after Blake Bortles was no longer a Jaguar, I believe Tony Boselli told a story about his first minicamp. He said he was standing there watching him throw talking with Pete Prisco or somebody and remarked, "THIS is the guys we drafted 3rd overall?". Do you ever recall him saying something along those lines to you?

I don't recall this. Then again, I often go out of my way to not stand with Boselli during practice. The less of that the better sometimes.