Travis Hunter flashes brilliance as he works to find footing with Jaguars

Some Jaguars fans may be growing impatient with Travis Hunter as the No. 2 overall pick has flown under the radar through his first three NFL games, but the breakout is on the way for the Heisman Trophy winner. The former Colorado star was always going to have a steeper learning curve than other rookies from the 2025 draft class because he's learning two positions. He was never going to be an instant expert and overnight success in Jacksonville.

But patience is going to lead to massive rewards. Hunter is a budding superstar, and a couple of plays on Sunday - one on each side of the ball - in the Jaguars' win over the Texans show just that.

Offensively, Hunter only made one catch for 21 yards despite lining up at WR for 37 of the 80 snaps he played against the Texans. But the one catch was a memorable one. He turned a short reception from Trevor Lawrence into a big gain by shaking a couple of defenders in the open field:

That looked familiar for Colorado fans.

The other play to highlight was Hunter locking down Christian Kirk, running step for step, and not letting Kirk re-route while CJ Stroud scrambled:

That, too, looked familiar.

Travis Hunter's slow start in the NFL is nothing to panic over

There's no reason for Jaguars fans to panic over Travis Hunter's slow start. He's learning the nuances of playing WR and CB, which is going to take time. Had Jacksonville chosen to focus solely on one position with Hunter, he would have already had a breakout performance or two through three weeks. But they are playing the long game with the Colorado superstar - and that's going to pay major dividends down the stretch run of the season.

The Jaguars are off to a 2-1 start this year, putting themselves squarely in the playoff picture and the AFC South race. When the games start mattering more and more in December and into January, that's when Hunter's really going to hit his stride.

The talent is undeniable. He has flashed in every game so far. The breakout is coming. He's going to come up during his rookie season for the Jaguars. It'll happen time and time again as the season progresses.

Patience is not an easy thing to have, especially for the fanbase of a franchise starving for success. But that patience is going to pay off with time. You can see the vision if you look closely at the forest and ignore the trees.