JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Travis Hunter has largely been all offense during his time with the Jaguars, but that changed on Tuesday.
Hunter sported a white defensive jersey during the first day of mandatory minicamp and got his first action in front of the assembled media on that side of the ball.
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“I’d have to go back and watch the tape and see how he actually performed, but as you know, on defense as a DB, usually if they’re not calling your name, it’s typically a good thing,” said head coach Liam Coen. “So, I’ll have to go back and watch, but I think he’s done a nice job in terms of communicating with the guys.”
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The No. 2 pick in last April’s draft, Hunter is trying to make the transition from Heisman-winning two-way star at the University of Colorado to a two-way player in the NFL. Thus far, Hunter has only logged defensive snaps on a handful of occasions on days that were not open to the media. But Tuesday, that changed. Hunter was off to the side getting 1-on1 instruction with secondary coach Ron Milus to start practice, then worked in drills with the defensive backs.
He spent all Tuesday with the defense.
“I know I like him a lot better on the other side of the ball,” offensive coordinator Grant Udinski joked after practice. “That’s about the end of my scouting report. Just get him on the other side of the ball. I’ll enjoy it lots more on Sundays when he’s not going against us.”
Sky the limit for BTJ
Receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had the best season by a rookie pass catcher in franchise history. Free agent signee Jourdan Lewis has gotten an up-close look at Thomas in OTAs and said that he is poised for big things.
“He’s smooth. He’s a very smooth man for his size. He gets in and out of his breaks really quickly. I think he is one of the top guys that I’ve ever guarded, honestly,” Lewis said. “I feel like he can get better. He’s a very young guy, and I feel like the sky is the limit for him.”
Camp open for fans Wednesday
The only day of minicamp open to fans is on Wednesday. There are limited tickets available, and fans can get those by registering for them here. The next time fans can attend will be training camp in late July.
Photo gallery above
News4JAX photographer Chris Smith captured Tuesday’s first day of mandatory minicamp. Click through the images above to see action from the day.
Competition increases in minicamp
Minicamp signaled a bit of a shift in the traditional organized team activities pace. NFL teams have three days of mandatory minicamp to get through before a summer break. There’s a faster pace in minicamp than in OTAs, and it was noticeable on Tuesday. The coaching staff had the offense and defense face off for points, with the defense winning the first round (6-3) and the offense surging back at the end of the day for a 10-9 win.
“Yes, we upped the level of competition, but you didn’t see a million people banging into each other or guys getting banged up. It was cleaner. I was a little concerned with that and that’s obviously not what we’re trying to get accomplished out of these next few days,” Coen said. “But yeah, we were keeping score on the competition phase of it, and it was really the red zone and the third down periods, we kind of kept score and tried to make it a little bit more fun for them.”
