Through his first four NFL games, Travis Hunter had yet to realize his rookie of the year potential. The prospect for whom the Jacksonville Jaguars traded two firsts and a second-round pick to draft second overall had played more snaps on offense than defense to begin his career, but the effects were muted. Hunter was on pace for just 500 receiving yards over a 17-game season and hadn't found the end zone.

He didn't find the end zone Monday night in a Week 5 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs, either. But two big plays set up Jaguars touchdowns. They also showcased how much he can raise the ceiling of an offense that backslid badly in 2023 and bottomed out in 2024 despite the presence of former first overall pick Trevor Lawrence at quarterback.

The first was on a 2nd-and-11 screen that saw Hunter emerge from the backfield and haul in the ball near the line of scrimmage with two Chiefs defenders within two yards of him. A zig-zag juke took them both out of the play. First down.

This, however, was child's play to what came a drive later. Hunter earned the 2024 Heisman Trophy for his two-way play (something on display in Week 5 as he swatted away a third down pass to Travis Kelce early in the game). But while his resume at cornerback was stellar, it was his work tracking down Shedeur Sanders deep balls that made him a staple of recap shows every Saturday. So when Lawrence launched a slightly underthrown deep ball 44 yards downfield after artfully escaping pressure, we should have expected the outcome.

That's the kind of fixer Hunter can be in two wildly different plays. He can leak out of the backfield, still wind up with two Chiefs shadowing him and turn second-and-11 into a fresh set of downs. He can get way downfield and adjust to the ball in midair while splitting single coverage to make an acrobatic catch for 40-plus yards. At his best he is a coordinated swarm of hornets, synched up for maximum carnage. But fine tuning the Jacksonville offense and balancing that against his duties on the defense is a huge balancing act for first year head coach Liam Coen.

Still, Hunter provides the kind of weapon few can match when he's on. His biggest games so far have been a rising tide for the Jacksonville offense. The two games where Hunter has had at least 40 yards -- Weeks 4 and 5 -- have also been Brian Thomas Jr.'s most productive games (five catches, 49 yards last week, four catches for 80 yards vs. the Chiefs). Lawrence's expected points added (EPA) those games is a tidy 11.9. The first three games of the season? -11.4.

Correlation is not causation, but Hunter's ability to pull defensive focus appears to be a rising tide for the Jags. They're just getting started.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Jaguars are figuring out the true power of Travis Hunter

Reporting by Christian D'Andrea, For The Win / For The Win

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