New Jaguars head coach and general manager show signal of intent in the 2025 NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a splash in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Already possessing the fifth overall pick, the new head coach and general manager duo of Liam Coen and James Gladstone made quite the trade. The Jaguars gave up the fifth and 36th overall selection from 2025 and a 2026 first rounder in exchange for the second overall pick and a fourth and sixth rounder.

With that selection, they took two-way player Travis Hunter, seen as the biggest talent in the entire class. In a first year for both Coen and Gladstone, they will be keen to make an impression.

This is especially so after Coen’s viral “Duuval” moment during his introductory press conference. He and the Jags have certainly grabbed the attention of the NFL world with the Hunter pick.

Following suit of DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans

Back in 2023, the Houston Texans hired former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their new head coach. General manager Nick Caserio extended his role as general manager to also being the executive vice president. There was a lot of negativity around the franchise, who had yet to recover from the Divisional Round collapse against the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2020. They also won their final game of the 2022 season, meaning they would pick second overall instead of first. A lot of fans felt they had screwed up their chance of success.

They took quarterback C.J Stroud with the second overall pick but were quick to show their intent as they traded with the Arizona Cardinals to get the very next pick, giving up a future first rounder in the process.

With that pick, they took defensive end Will Anderson Jr and both he and Stroud have become the very heartbeats of each side of the ball. The intent was clear from Ryan and Caserio. Their aggressive draft strategy has proved to work, with back-to-back playoff campaigns, Ryans and Stroud becoming the first rookie head coach and rookie quarterback duo in history to make the playoffs and have had back-to-back years where they have advanced to the Divisional Round.

This is where the Jaguars want to get back to. The 2017 “Sacksonville” team advanced to the Conference Championship and the future seemed bright. They have only reached the playoffs once more since in the 2022 season, in what was just their second postseason campaign since 2007, and their fourth in total this century.

Coen had success as a coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, like Ryans did for the 49ers. He will hope for a similar start to life as a head coach at the first attempt.

Can Travis Hunter transform the Jaguars? Or will he be another victim of surroundings

If Coen is to be a success as Jaguars head coach, then a big part of it will rely on the performances of Hunter. He and Gladstone made the decision to trade up for him, and they will die by the sword should it not work out.

Hunter has the potential to become a star, and should he be a success, then there is a good chance that this team will get plenty of wins and therefore keep Coen’s job very safe. However, should he become a bust, then this move could set back the franchise for many years with no first rounder in 2026 as a result of the trade.

Not only is he an extra weapon for Trevor Lawrence to throw to, but he would also help a pass defense that ranked dead last in 2024 and 28th for points allowed.

He is not the first “star” to enter the draft. Being a high draft pick, a player can often be the victim of their surroundings. There is a reason why a team is drafting high. In a sport where you need excellence in every position and a lot of players are needed in the team, there is a reason a lot of top three picks do not go on to win a Super Bowl or even play in one for the teams that drafted them.

Hunter’s new teammate Lawrence knows this all too well. Seen as the sure-fire thing, he joined a poor team and has yet to showcase is talent on a consistent basis. Other skill positions often find it easier to stand out, but Hunter will be going to a team that has a lot of glaring holes and under a rookie head coach. Could this be a franchise hanging move for the Jaguars? Or is this going to be another failure to add to the list for Jacksonville

Andy Davies

@AndyDaviesSport