The Jacksonville Jaguars rarely fail to deliver a glittering storyline upon their annual business trip to the UK. It has become an unwritten promise to their home from home. This year is no different – perhaps the most absorbing yet. 

First there was Trevor Lawrence, the No 1 pick generational quarterback prospect accustomed to an unwavering NFL spotlight since his teens and projected in the same light as the Peyton Mannings and Andrew Lucks of this world. There was Travon Walker, the Rubik’s cube defensive lineman who mounted a late, surprise surge to the No 1 pick at the 2022 NFL Draft by way of selfless disruption and a read-between-the-lines influence in teeing up team-mates for feasting success at the heart of Kirby Smart’s Georgia defense.

This year, it is No 2 overall Draft pick Travis Hunter, the two-position wide receiver/defensive back phenom on a quest to shatter convention as a talent for whom their is no modern blueprint.

The NFL will celebrate its 42nd game in London since 2007 when the Jaguars face Los Angeles Rams at Wembley on Sunday. UK fans have seen a lot. They have never quite seen a Travis Hunter.

Head coach Liam Coen deems his unique and largely-unprecedented usage a welcome wrinkle to his job.

“That’s a lot of reason why you coach, to accept challenges, try to overcome challenges, and Travis is no different,” Coen said.

“It’s been the scheduling all the way from the beginning until on the plane ride out here Monday night, we were sitting on the plane going over any tweaks to the schedule we may be making this week. So, it’s every day.

“It’s a great challenge for us. It keeps everybody really having to be on it in terms of the schedule. When you’re working with a guy that does love football and does love to work, he loves to play, he loves to play the game, you really want to help people like that.

“And that’s somebody that is ultimately going to continue to get better and better each week. It has been a fun challenge thus far.”

Hunter landed in the NFL as one of the most fascinating case studies in recent history this year when the Jaguars traded up to draft the Heisman Trophy winner at No 2 overall.

He had rocked the college football landscape as the No 1-ranked recruit of his class coming out of high school when he committed to Jackson State, becoming the first five-star prospect to sign with a HBCU or FBS program.

Hunter later followed head coach Deion Sanders to Colorado, where his two-way influence would spike in the NFL shop window last season as he played 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps. A full-time role on both sides of the ball amounted to 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns alongside 32 tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass break-ups in 2024.

Both player and team would unite on Draft night with the intention of preserving his two-position deployment in the NFL. And while Hunter’s early impact has been modest as he and Coen continue to perfect their plan, both know it is coming.

“It’s very important for me to be patient,” said Hunter. “I just got to let the game come to me, coach has been trying to dial up a couple of things for me, I’ve just got to continue to just work and just having the guys trust me because I’m doing my job every time. I just got to continue to do my job.

“It’s a team sport. Continue to be a team, not be selfish and just continue to be consistent and win the game.”

There are no real notable guinea pigs from whom to take inspiration with Hunter’s transition. Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik remains the most recent full-time two-way player in the NFL after playing at both linebacker and center over the first eight seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949-1962.

Hunter just played a season-high 58 out of 74 snaps on offense as well as posting his highest route share in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, while featuring on just 22 defensive snaps. Before then he played 39 offensive snaps and 25 defensive snaps in the Week Five win over the Kansas City Chiefs, during which he made a 44-yard leaping catch between two defenders over the middle of the field for his biggest flash moment yet in the NFL.

It has been a gradual balancing act, which saw him play more defensive than offensive snaps in Week Two and Three before playing nine defensive snaps to 38 offensive snaps in the Week Four victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

“He’s a great corner, he’s a great receiver,” said quarterback Lawrence.

“And I think trying to find the right way to use him is something that we’re always looking to do every week. Sometimes it looks different, and sometimes we might not give him as many touches as we wanted to or planned to, and the game just unfolds a little bit differently. And that’s just football.

“But it’s definitely something that we are consistently trying to do because I think we’ve all seen how special he is.

“And when he gets opportunities down the field or just catches the ball underneath and can make people miss and turn those five-yard passes into 25-yard gains because he’s so good with the ball in his hands.”

Hunter enters Sunday with 20 catches from 31 targets for 197 yards at 9.9 yards per catch, while having 15 tackles and two pass break-ups on defense.

Coen recalled preparations for Week Five’s win over Kansas City when Lawrence and Hunter sought to strengthen their on-field understand by working on a throw they had missed in practice. The pair rehearsed it five times until eventually nailing it.

“Then it came to life on the catch that Travis made jumping up in the air against Kansas,” said Coen. “So that connection is hopefully continuing to get fostered.

“I think Trevor’s a unique leader in the way that he’s able to give such great insight for a younger guy. He’s kind of mature beyond his years in so many ways – sometimes I feel like he’s a little bit more mature than me.

“That relationship’s getting better and better.”

There is a feeling Hunter’s breakout in the NFL is brewing. It was never going to be an overnight explosion, even for a unicorn like him.

The intricacies to his talent are increasingly evident. He is exquisite in his route breaks and his feints, he is dynamic after the catch and attacks the ball with aggression and exceptional instincts in contested duel situations. On defense, he is a constant turnover threat with elite play and route diagnosis.

“He’s been fun to be around,” said Lawrence. “Unique personality and just the energy he brings to the team.

“As far as his mindset and his attitude, I think he doesn’t need much help. I think he goes about things the right way. He wants to get better. He wants to learn.

“But as far as the football side of it, the mental part, I’ve seen a lot of ball at this point. I’m throwing to him and we have to be on the same page. There’s a lot of conversations I get with him each week, every game plan. Trying to get dialled in so that we are on the same page and have that chemistry.

“That’s so important in a quarterback-wide receiver. I think he’s making big improvements and I’m finding more ways to keep him involved and get him the ball. He has so much talent – you’ve got to find ways to keep featuring him just because he’s so good with the ball in his hands.”

Watch the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Los Angeles Rams live on Sky Sports NFL from 2pm Sunday, with kick-off at 2.30pm.

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