“Travis Hunter is not going to play like he did at Colorado”: Steelers legend serves reality check to Jaguars CB/WR's over two-way potential in NFL

Travis Hunter, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has been making headlines as a rare two-way prospect. The Jaguars player is slated to play both wide receiver and cornerback at the pro level.

The Jaguars' coaching staff has adopted a structured training-camp approach that splits offense and defense reps and occasionally flips him between both during the same practice. However, several coaches and analysts have been skeptical about the career path.

On Wednesday, Steelers legend Rod Woodson appeared on "The Rich Eisen Show" and cautioned about the same.

"He's not going to play like he did at Colorado. He's not going to be that many plays per game. Could he get to the point where he plays it? I mean, I mean, let's think about back … let's go, let's throw back, have throwback, let's throw back from centuries ago," Woodson said.

He credited Deion Sanders, Hunter’s coach at Colorado, for making the rare two-way experiment possible, but Woodson noted the NFL is different, and most coaches will take a cautious approach.

"Everybody played both ways, and he was very blessed to be with a head coach in college to allow him to play both ways in Prime. So Prime does know that, but the coaches in the league, they're not Prime, they didn't play both ways," he said.

Finally, he emphasized the physical toll Travis Hunter would face if asked to sustain such heavy usage.

"Is he going to play 85 plays, 90 plays a game for 17 weeks? Man, that's a tough ask on your body."

Fans expect the regular season performance to provide insight into the CB/WR's two-way potential.

Travis Hunter to miss preseason finale with upper-body injury

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter will sit out Saturday’s preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins due to an upper-body injury. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that Hunter was limited in practice after suffering the injury during an Aug. 14 scrimmage.

Coach Liam Coen said the decision is precautionary to prioritize Hunter’s availability for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.

“It was more just do we want him now or potentially not (playing against) Carolina. … If this was Carolina, would he have probably played? Yeah,” Coen said.

Travis Hunter returned for individual drills earlier this week but has not participated fully. He debuted in the Jaguars’ opener against the Steelers, logging 19 snaps,10 on offense with two catches for nine yards, along with limited defensive work. Coaches praised his offensive play but noted a missed tackle on defense.

The Jaguars expect him to be ready for the regular season.