Report: Travis Hunter to make NFL debut vs. Carolina Panthers at home

Arguably, no rookie will draw more eyeballs this season than Travis Hunter. Going No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars, there appears to be a plan to play Hunter on both sides of the ball. Done at Colorado, seeing Hunter attempt to do the same at the NFL level will be a big storyline.

Our first opportunity to watch Hunter pull the feat off will reportedly come against the Carolina Panthers. FOX’s Jordan Schultz reports Jacksonville will host Carolina in Week 1, bringing another subplot to center stage with the two head coaches.

“Sources: Travis Hunter will make his NFL debut with the #Jaguars at home in Week 1 against Bryce Young and the #Panthers,” Schultz said via X. “It’s also a matchup of the last two #Buccaneers offensive coordinators: Dave Canales vs Liam Coen.”

As of now, there has been no announcement as to when the game will officially be scheduled. Sunday is a safe bet, but which timeframe is not yet known. Either the early or afternoon window seems to be the most likely.

Neither Carolina nor Jacksonville impressed too much during the 2024 season. Both were inside the top 10 of the NFL Draft before the Jaguars pulled off a massive trade. However, one of the perks of picking that high is getting rookies who bring a ton of interest.

Travis Hunter compared to Diggs brothers by NFL insider

Comparisons during the NFL Draft are incredibly popular, giving fans some insight as to who the prospect could turn into. So, finding somebody similar to Hunter is difficult considering his situation. Not many players in league history have seriously attempted to play both sides of the ball.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave it his best shot, saying Hunter is similar to the Diggs brothers. Having the wide receiver skills of Stefon Diggs, while Trevon Diggs could be the comp at cornerback.

“So I was told day one of rookie mini camp, he was mostly offense, was not doing a lot of defensive stuff,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “That could change this weekend, where they implement him on both sides of the field. The plan really is for him to major in offense, minor in defense, eventually create like a third down nickel package role on defense. A great comp I’ve gotten from multiple people in the league (regarding) Hunter, the Diggs’ brothers. He’s essentially both Diggs’ brothers Trevon and Stefon.”