JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Joe from Jacksonville

This is just talking high school, but I played full-time strong safety with occasional running back snaps and I absolutely hated it. What is Hunter's incentive or motivation to playing two positions, full-time?

I confess I don't yet know Jaguars rookie cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter well enough to be absolutely certain I know all his "true internal motivations" – in life or in football. And if it's equally true that I maybe only know a handful of people well enough to know their "true internal motivations," it's the nature of the O-Zone that I'll speculate on a few reasons. One motivation perhaps is that he is good enough at both positions – like, high-end phenomenally good – that teams always have very much wanted him to do this. Another motivation perhaps is that playing two positions is something few people have been able to do at a high level, and some people like doing things no one has done before. That last element also has helped make him a star, which doesn't hurt his endorsement/earning power for the short- and long-term. These thoughts overlook what I expect is his biggest reason/motivation – that he really enjoys it and therefore wants to do it as long as teams give him the opportunity. Remember, too: Hunter is a high-end, special athlete. High-end, special athletes are able to do things athletically – and enjoy doing those things – that the rest of might not be able to do or even hate.

Josh from Atlanta, GA

Fans fanning will always be comedic. I was pretty intrigued with defensive tackle Mason Graham before the draft, just because of how frequently he was linked to Jacksonville, so I looked a bit into how the Cleveland Browns' rookie camp started. You would think that he is the worst pick in the history of Browns football based on comments. Slow and out of sorts without pads. Of course we have no idea how it will all pan out for years, but I have a question about first looks. Do you think coaches have the ability to watch a few first practices, and know if they have a potential star or potential bust? I'm wondering if there are times a coach sees a rookie for the first time and says "WOW, he is better than we even expected." Or, "WOW, why did we draft this kid?" Kneejerk reactions are for us dumb fans, but coaches are (slightly) human, too.

I, too, was amused at how Browns fans reacted to Graham's performance in rookie minicamp. This was a player that pretty much EVERYONE who analyzed the 2025 NFL Draft repeatedly said would not "look the part" and who therefore would need to be judged on how he played in games. Still, people were somehow surprised when he didn't "look the part." As for coaches and first impressions … sure, they have them. And there absolutely are cases when coaches following a few non-padded practices are certain a rookie will be a star or a bust. They're usually correct because the traits that are evident in that environment usually indicate what a player can do. But there are exceptions to this, and the wise coaches wait until pads/full contact to make a final judgement.

Paul from Jacksonville

I like what I'm seeing, Zone.

I do, too. The Jaguars are doing a lot right. It's also still the offseason and the team has yet to play a game under this regime.

Kenneth from Ocala, FL

Top five sitcoms of all time?

I'll rephrase the question to "top five half-hour-or-less(ish)" comedies: 1, Curb Your Enthusiasm; 2, Letterkenny; 3, Parks and Recreation; 4, Arrested Development. 5, 30 Rock.

Greg from Section 122, SOTF, Jacksonville, FL

Your opinion, isn't this kind of the make-or-break year for Trevor? I mean that we have given him weapons, a better offensive line supposedly, and new coaching staff. So no more reasons for struggling. At some point either you are the man, or you aren't. So I am guessing the front office believes in him because if he stinks it up this year and doesn't improve, we have no first-round pick to go get a replacement. But yeah … I would think he has two years at most to show he deserves that QB1 spot or the 2027 NFL Draft will be his replacement.

I think you're correct that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence must show in the next two seasons that he deserves to be the starter, but from this perspective it's a bit extreme to suggest that he has "stunk it up" so far in his career. His career from this view has been a difficult rookie season in 2021, a slowish start to 2022, a stretch from late 2022-early 2023 in which he played very well and a stretch since when he has struggled with injuries and inconsistency. It's reasonable to believe there's at minimum a version of Lawrence that can match the late 2022-2023 version moving forward. You can win with that version. We know this because the Jaguars won 13 of 16 regular-season games with that version. How much better can Lawrence be than that version? That's what we start learning in 2025. Stay tuned.

Daniel from Johnston, IA

Question, O. If another team had drafted Hunter instead of the Jags, do you think they also would be expecting to play him two ways? Trying to understand if this a Jags thing or something that every team would have like to have tried ...

This might vary somewhat from team to team. I think Hunter is capable of playing wide receiver and cornerback at a high level, and I think he very much wants to do this in the NFL. Considering those two factors, I don't know that any team selecting him early would have forced him to play just one position. The Jaguars are planning to start Hunter on offense and have him practice/prepare there about 75 percent of the time there, with him playing more situationally on defense and practicing/preparing there about 25 percent of the time. How many teams would have taken that precise approach? We'll never know, but I expect he would have played two positions for most teams.

Bill from Ponte Vedra, FL

My impression is that starting cornerbacks play almost all defensive downs while starting wide receivers take plays off because of different personnel packages. Defensive backfield also requires more coordination with other players than wide receiver. So, shouldn't TH be getting more preseason work on the defensive side of the ball.

Not if he's playing offense full time and defense situationally.

Charles from Riverside

Hello, John. There have been some rumblings that at 165 pounds Travis Hunter may be underweight for an NFL cornerback. According to NFL.com, the average cornerback is about 5-foot-11 and weighs 193 pounds. Is 28 pounds under average worthy of concern? If management intends to have him put on some weight, will that slow him down (or is that an urban myth)? Which got me thinking, for cornerback, while both are critical, isn't the ability to defend the pass more important than the ability to tackle? With his above average height at 6-feet-1, plus his freakish speed, it seems like it would more than offset any weight concerns?

Hunter is indeed "slight" by NFL standards, which to this old-school writer is a bit of a concern. I'd be lying if I said he didn't strike me as thinnish when I saw him at 2025 rookie minicamp this past weekend. But I must repeat here what I've been saying since the Jaguars selected Hunter – that that there are exceptions to all rules, including old-school NFL rules, and that it's usually elite/exceptional athletes who provide exceptions. Hunter is elite. He's exceptional. He's going to look and be different than "the norm." But yes … the ability to defend the pass and make plays on the ball is more important for an NFL corner than the ability to tackle. If Hunter can cover and create takeaways, those strengths will outweigh all else.

Sean from Oakleaf, FL

Do you have any insights into the NFL broadcast rules created by "The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961," protecting high school and college football games on Fridays and Saturdays from the NFL. Seems like media and consumer access has changed somewhat since 1961?

I don't have any great "insights" into this other than the rule withdrew antitrust immunity for any NFL telecast if a high school or college game was being played within 75 miles on a Friday night or Saturday between September 2 and December 2. The spirit of the rule was to protect high school and college. Media and consumer access may have changed since 1961, but the spirit of the rule from this viewpoint is still positive – and necessary.

William from Jacksonville

Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said rookie minicamp is about finding the bathroom? Can you find the bathroom, Zone?

This is always the goal. Some days are better than others.