What impact did Travis Hunter have on both sides of the ball during his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars? If you ask his coach, this is a coach with a long history.
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Jaguars head coach Liam Coen appeared on the “Wealthy Eisen Show” on Monday and Defensive Rookie of the Year as a wide range of receivers and cornerbacks. (The conversation begins with the 8:13 marker edited above.)
“I do think it's possible,” Cohen said. “He's not only going to drive, but he's working on his teammates. I think his teammates…these guys are challenging him every day. He didn't get a free pass because he's the second pick and he's Travis Hunter.
They were trying to stuff him in his grill, trying to lift him up, trying to make them do their best, just like doing it for him in the healthiest way, like where they went as healthy as possible, and each other's feet. But it is indeed the sharp iron that is really ironed by people.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars released their first in-depth map of the preseason on Monday. Above, Hunter was listed as the starting receiver and second-string cornerback, further showing how the team intends to hire star rookies.
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The NFL’s two-way players have had an impact on the game – see: Deion Sanders – but none of them have done what Coen said about Hunter this season.
There was more than a month until the Jaguars hosted the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, and Cohen and his staff were still working on the percentage of Snaps Hunter, and Hunter would start offense and defense this season.
The Jaguars have not yet revealed how much time the Hunter will spend on both sides of the ball, but head coach Liam Coen said they want him to play as much as possible. (Photography by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Image)
“We want to play him as much as we can,” Cohen said.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hunter played 753 offensive fastballs and 776 defensive balls last season, with 23 alongside special teams in Colorado. Despite the extra use, Hunter had 92 receptions, 1,152 yards of catch yards and 14 touchdowns, with a total of 29 tackles and 4 defensive interceptions. His play won the Heisman Trophy in December.
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Hunter said at the beginning of the camp that both sides were more important mentally than physically taxed. Now, he needs to be ready to deal with NFL cornerbacks and a wide range of receivers, like Panthers Jaycee Horn is here on September 7, and they won't make life easy for rookies.
“[Horn’s] It won't be like, “Hey man, that's cool.” They'll say, “No man, you can't do that” and that's how beautiful it is,” Cohen said, “I want to [Hunter’s] It was definitely forced to do this for the right reasons. ”