Travis Hunter, the No. 2 pick, and No. 5 pick Ashton Jeanty have been rivals since the Heisman voting, with one triumphing over the other. But now, since both have moved to their NFL homes, that is the Jaguars and the Raiders, respectively, will their rivalry to top the charts continue? Will Jeanty’s chance of redemption ever come? A new update is out in Jeanty’s favor…

Travis Hunter was one of the best receivers of his class, without a doubt. The man always sat pretty at the top of almost all drafts. “I’ve never seen a player quite like Colorado’s do-everything dynamo, Travis Hunter,” wrote Fox Sports’ Rob Rang. The Buffaloes’ dual phenom led them with 21 receiving plays for 20 yards or more. He had three touchdown receptions in a game twice, had 10 or more catches in a game thrice, and had 100 or more receiving yards in a game seven times. Hunter also led the conference with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns while finishing with 1,152 receiving yards, second in the Big 12.

Finishing second behind him in votes was Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Easily the best RB in the country and the draft, the Raiders are going to see their running game boost with Jeanty’s addition. He was a key part in the strategy that got Boise State a chance at the playoffs, and also its conference championship game. With 2,601 rushing yards with 374 attempts in 2024, Jeanty was named runner-up to the award with 309 first-place votes, losing to Hunter’s 552. But how the turntables – an interesting prediction from the NFL now implies the RB might be the top prospect to win the League’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Jeanty is at the top of the list, while Hunter ranks 3 on the list.

New Raiders HC Pete Carroll said about Ashton Jeanty, “He has the ability to do all of it. He can run with power. He can run in short-yardage areas and find the spacing that he needs to make the plays, and he’s got that marvelous ability — just on any play he can score — and that’s just such an exciting aspect to add to our football team. We just feel very fortunate.” Jeanty will join an offense structured around Geno Smith, Jakobi Meyers, and Brock Bowers. There’s no end to the possibilities that can happen with Jeanty joining such an impressive offense already.

In Jacksonville, Hunter will get to do what he always wanted to do: play both sides of the ball. “There are players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of a team. There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport itself,” said James Gladstone, Jaguars GM. It is this aspect of Hunter that got him the award. Unlike Ashton Jeanty, Hunter also makes it to Defensive Rookie of the Year odds, but at the same No. 3 position. Jacksonville has a chance to reach heights higher than it ever has with this one-of-a-kind rookie.

Travis Hunter reveals his new skill to the Jaguars

The Jaguars pulled an absolute shocker by trading up in the first round and snatching away Travis Hunter. A player like him is like a blue moon, and Liam Coen and Co. might’ve struck molten gold at the draft. His dual-faceted CB-WR ability is what made the Jags pick him. But, maybe, Hunter had been hiding one aspect of himself from the world all this time.

He dropped by the grounds to visit his new team and got talking with his new coach. There, he made a surprising suggestion. “You know I can play quarterback too, right? I can throw the ball, so on trick plays,” Hunter threw a ball at Coen, as a display of his lesser-known skill. But the staff is clear about how to use his versatility in the team. “We have to be fluid. We have it laid out. But we also have to have the ability to be agile and be fluid on specific days,” Coach Coen told the press.

Hunter does all the talking he needs to do in games. He sat out in the Combine and opted out of the usual tests on Pro Day. It was because he knew he was one of the only people in his batch who could do so. The Jaguars might even be slated to create history with the player with Hunter, the Walter Camp, Bednarik, and Biletnikoff Awards winner, along with the Heisman. Though Ashton Jeanty might seem to one-up him in the Offensive Rookie odds, Hunter seals the deal by featuring in the lists for both sides of the ball.