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When new Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone made the massive decision to trade up to select Travis Hunter second overall, he tipped his cap to his former boss, Les Snead, who famously opted to “disregard them picks” in favor of ready-made contributors.
Now granted, Hunter isn't quite on par with Snead trading two firsts to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey, as the Florida State product was widely considered one of the best defensive backs in the NFL at the time, but in practice the idea is similar, with the offensive dynamic the Colorado product brings to the table adding to the potential two-way threat to Liam Coen's offense.
But what does Snead think of the deal? Well, with no pick to talk about in his post-first-round press conference, the Super Bowl-winning GM weighed in on the deal, noting that he's proud of Gladstone for going for it.
“I can say this. You only live once, don't be scared. You only have one life, make sure you're not scared while you're living it. James is living his best life tonight. Go get 'em, James!”
Did Sneed know the trade was coming? Well, the general manager was asked that question, too, and he let it slip that the two had been talking turkey, which led him to believe that Gladstone might have been scheming something up.
“It definitely was fun to watch, because James was here, from afar. I call it ‘attack the aggressive'. Obviously, they had a lot of passion for that player. We didn't discuss a lot leading up to the draft. [It was a] surprise for me. I can't say…” Snead noted.
“Here's what I can say. James always had an affinity for Mr. Hunter. I didn't ever think it was realistic for him, though. I do know there was a moment in the last couple weeks where he was really asking… I was connecting him with a good friend of mine that knows Mr. Hunter well, and I'm like, ‘James, what are you doing? Why were we wasting time?' I had a little inkling that maybe something was up.”
After spending weeks almost exclusively being linked to Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, rumors started to break the week of the draft that Coen might be interested in pursuing an offensive weapon to help Trevor Lawrence get back on track. While that initially looked like it would be Ashton Jeanty, as he was widely mocked to the Las Vegas Raiders at pick No. 6, Gladstone hit the phones and made an offer the Cleveland Browns couldn't refuse, bringing in the two-way star at a heavy cost.
Will Hunter become the Jaguars' version of Ramsey, an elite star who can take the team over the top like, well, Ramsey, in LA? While only time will tell, it's cool to learn that Snead was all-in on his protégé making a big swing for a true difference-maker.
