Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter was called a unicorn and compared to multi-skilled MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani by at least one NFL general manager before he was even selected second overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. So, it’s only fair for us to predict which records the WR/CB/anomaly could break in his yet-to-truly-begin NFL career.
After all, Jags GM James Gladstone, who aggressively traded up to pick the Heisman Trophy winner, believes Hunter can be a transformational player -- one capable of redefining what we believe is possible in football.
Here are some of the “firsts” Hunter has a chance to achieve as he begins the quest to becoming a two-way star in the NFL, ordered from most to least likely to be accomplished.
1) Play at least 20 snaps on offense and defense in a single game.
- Last to do it: Nobody (since Next Gen Stats started tracking this data in 2016).
- A few guys have played a handful of snaps on both offense and defense in recent years -- notably Scott Matlock, Patrick Ricard and Elandon Roberts -- but no one has played at least 20 snaps on both offense and defense in the same game in the NGS era. This is something Hunter could accomplish in Week 1, even if he does not start on both offense and defense.
2) Play more than 100 total snaps in a game.
- Last to do it: Nobody (since at least 2016).
- Hunter averaged 111.5 snaps from scrimmage in his two seasons at Colorado, by far the most of any player in the FBS. While some offensive linemen have played over 90 snaps in a game, no one has reached 100 snaps from scrimmage in the NGS era.
3) Start on offense and defense in the same game.
- Last to do it: Antonio Cromartie in 2012.
- The former All-Pro cornerback played just three offensive snaps for the Jets in their Week 14 win over the Jaguars, making one catch for a loss of two yards -- the only reception of his 11-year career. Cromartie, who made the Pro Bowl in 2012 as a cornerback, played just 15 total offensive snaps that season.
- Last rookie to do it: Spencer Larsen in 2008.
- The former Broncos sixth-round pick, who began his pro career on defense, started at both linebacker and fullback in the team's Week 11 game against the Falcons. Larsen earned Rookie of the Week honors for his two-way performance in the game.
4) Start on offense and defense in the same game multiple times.
- Last to do it: Deion Sanders in 1996.
- The Hall of Fame cornerback -- and Hunter's head coach in college -- started on both sides of the ball eight times for the Cowboys that season. He tallied two picks, three fumble recoveries, 36 catches and 475 receiving yards en route to the fourth of his six first-team All-Pro selections.
5) Run 2,000+ yards in a game (snap to whistle distance).
- Last to do it: Nobody (current record is 1,908 yards run by Zay Jones with the Bills against the Bears in Week 9, 2018).
- Jones finished with just 18 receiving yards in that game, but he set the NGS era record.
- Opposing offensive coordinators could try to test Hunter’s status as the “Cardio King” by running go routes at him all game. Factor in Hunter’s own plays on offense, and he could be the first player to run 2,000+ yards in a game since at least 2016.
6) Play 1,200 snaps from scrimmage in a single season.
- Last to do it: Nobody (since at least 2016).
- Hunter played 1,460 snaps from scrimmage in 13 games for Colorado last season. While we can expect him to average fewer snaps than the 112.3 mark he reached in 2024, he has a very good chance to set this NGS record as a rookie playing a 17-game season.
7) Record at least 1 receiving TD and 1 INT in a single game.
- Last to do it: Brian Dawkins against the Texans in Week 4 of the 2002 season.
- Not only did “Weapon X” have a receiving touchdown (57 yards on a fake punt) and a fumble recovery for the Eagles in that game, but he also recorded a sack and an interception against then-rookie David Carr (apologies to our beloved NFL Network colleague).
- Hunter had three games with at least one TD catch and one INT in his final season at Colorado (against Oklahoma State, Colorado State and UCF).
8) Record 100+ receiving yards and at least 1 interception in a single game.
- Last to do it: Keyshawn Johnson in the 1998 Divisional Round against the Jaguars.
- Johnson, the first overall pick in the 1996 draft, posted 121 receiving yards, a receiving touchdown, a rushing touchdown, an interception and a fumble recovery for the Jets in the game. Prior to Johnson, the last player with a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and an interception in a game was Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch for the Rams in 1949 against the Bears.
- Hunter had three games with 100+ yards receiving and at least one interception during his two seasons at Colorado.
9) Record 1,000+ receiving yards and 4+ interceptions in a season.
- Last to do it: Don Hutson in 1942.
- Hutson posted the first 1,000-yard receiving season in NFL history in 1942 (1,211 yards) and the Packers star had seven interceptions to go along with it.
- Hunter had 1,258 receiving yards and four interceptions in 2024 with the Buffaloes.
- Last season, Brian Thomas Jr. became the first rookie in Jaguars history to post 1,000+ receiving yards in a season. Only two Jaguars rookies have recorded at least four interceptions in Year 1 (Derek Cox in 2009, Reggie Nelson in 2007).
10) Intercept a No. 1 overall pick and catch a touchdown pass from a No. 1 overall pick in a career.
- Last to do it: Tony Scheffler.
- The tight end intercepted Carson Palmer on a Hail Mary in 2009 as a member of the Broncos, and then caught a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford two years later after joining the Lions.
- While we can assume the touchdown reception will come from Trevor Lawrence, Hunter’s first chance at the interception of a No. 1 overall pick could come against Bryce Young and the Panthers in Week 1.
- Last to do both in the same game: Nobody (in the Super Bowl era).
- Last player with a receiving touchdown and pick-six from a No. 1 overall pick in his career: Deion Sanders (caught a touchdown pass from Troy Aikman, returned interceptions for touchdowns against Drew Bledsoe and Jeff George).
11) Win either Offensive or Defensive Rookie of the Year (or both).
- Last Jaguars player to win OROY or DROY: Nobody. Jalen Ramsey got close in 2016, coming in second place behind Joey Bosa for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
- No player has ever won both the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards.
- Eleven wide receivers have won Offensive Rookie of the Year since its inception in 1967, and 11 defensive backs have won Defensive Rookie of the Year over that same span. Hunter, who will wear No. 12, will look to become the 12th wide receiver to win OROY, the 12th defensive back to win DROY and the first player to win both awards.
12) Record 10+ receiving touchdowns and 5+ interceptions in a career.
- Last to do it: Mike Vrabel.
- Vrabel, whose Patriots held the fourth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was one of several NFL decision-makers who expressed openness to having Hunter play both offense and defense if his team were to draft him. While that hypothetical didn’t play out for New England, Hunter figures to be more of a full-time two-way player than Vrabel, who was a limited, yet effective, goal-line receiver and an All-Pro linebacker. Vrabel had 11 interceptions and 10 receiving touchdowns in his regular-season career (and another two receiving touchdowns in the playoffs).
13) Record 2+ receiving touchdowns and at least 1 interception in a single game.
- Last to do it: The Lions' Leon Hart in 1951 against the Packers on Thanksgiving.
- Hart, the first overall pick in the 1950 NFL Draft, is one of the most accomplished football players of all time. He won the Heisman Trophy and three national championships while at Notre Dame and three NFL championships with the Lions in his eight-year professional career.
14) Record 50+ receiving yards and 50+ interception return yards in a single game.
- Last to do it: Deion Sanders in the Cowboys’ win over the Giants on Monday Night Football in Week 3 of the 1998 season.
- Sanders had one reception for 55 yards and one interception returned for a 71-yard touchdown. Prime also returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown in that game, but seeing as Hunter didn’t return punts in college, we’ll let him off the hook for that one.
15) Record at least 1 receiving touchdown and 1 pick-six in a game.
- Last to do it: Tom Fears in 1948.
- The Pro Football Hall of Famer accomplished this feat in his NFL debut -- Week 1 of the 1948 season. Fears scored both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a 44-7 Rams win over the Lions. While Fears would finish his career with 38 receiving touchdowns (ninth-most at the time of his retirement in 1956), that interception returned for a score was the only pick-six of his career.
16) Lead the team in receiving TDs and INTs over a full season.
- Last to do it: Gene Schroeder in 1951.
- Schroeder, the 12th pick in the 1951 NFL Draft, was a rookie when he led the Bears with three receiving touchdowns and five interceptions.
- The Pro Bowler was asked by the 1952 Olympic committee if he would consider putting his football career on hold to try out for the track team, but he turned that offer down.
- The six-year veteran worked in the steel industry in Chicago during the offseason.
17) Make a Pro Bowl on offense and defense in a career.
- Last to do it: Nobody (since the NFL first adopted the East/West -- and later AFC/NFC -- Pro Bowl formats in 1950).
- Only two rookies in Jaguars history have made the Pro Bowl -- Brian Thomas Jr. in 2024 and Josh Hines-Allen in 2019.
18) Lead the NFL in receiving yards and interceptions in a single season.
- Last to do it: No player has done so since interceptions were first tracked in 1940.
- The last player to get close to accomplishing this feat was Mal Kutner of the Chicago Cardinals in 1946. Kutner was third in the NFL with 634 receiving yards and tied for fourth with five interceptions.
- The last two players to lead the NFL in interceptions, Kerby Joseph in 2024 and DaRon Bland in 2023, each required nine picks to do so. But in 2022, four players tied for the NFL lead with just six interceptions each (Minkah Fitzpatrick, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Justin Simmons, Riq Woolen). If Hunter can snag six interceptions in one of those “down years” to go along with his full-time production as a wide receiver, he might have a shot to be the first player to lead the NFL in both receiving yards and interceptions in the same season.
19) Win both Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year at any point over the course of a career.
- Last to do it: Nobody (since the inception of both awards in the early 1970s).
- A wide receiver has won the Offensive Player of the Year award in three of the last six seasons (Justin Jefferson in 2022, Cooper Kupp in 2021, Michael Thomas in 2019). Pat Surtain II won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 as a shutdown cornerback. Since these awards came after the careers of the Chuck Bednariks of the world, no player has come close to winning both OPOY and DPOY.
20) Become the first wide receiver OR defensive back to win NFL MVP.
- Fun fact: Kickers have won more NFL MVPs (one, Mark Moseley in 1982) than wide receivers and defensive backs combined.
- A wide receiver has not finished among the top two in MVP voting since Jerry Rice in 1995. Rice was the runner-up to Brett Favre (69 votes to 10 for Rice). In 1987, Rice was a close second in MVP voting to John Elway (36 votes to Rice’s 30).
- LB Lawrence Taylor (1986) and DT Alan Page (1971) are the only defensive players to win MVP.
- Hunter would be the first non-quarterback since Barry Sanders to win both the Heisman Trophy and the NFL MVP award in his career.