The Jacksonville Jaguars made the biggest slash of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft by trading a treasure chest of picks to move from pick No. 5 to pick No. 2 in order to take Colorado's Heisman Trophy winning wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.
After making the selection Jacksonville's new coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone addressed the media. Gladstone explained why Hunter was worth moving up and clarified the organization's new stance on the draft.
____ them picks 💀#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/U2sQU8KHT4
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 25, 2025
"I've probably got some familiarity with the uh, ---- them picks, sort of process," Gladstone explained. "So for our fans, I'll tell you, don't be scared. This is something I'm uniquely positioned to navitage. And we ended up bringing Travis Hunter to Jacksonville. And with that he is somebody who is deserving of a first round draft pick as a wide receiver and he is worthy of a first round draft pick as a corner. Certainly look forward to each of those elements showing themselves over the next few years while he is under his rookie contract, but we're excited just about getting him in the boat so to speak."
Gladstone is positioned to operate under these circumstances because he spent the previous nine seasons in Los Angeles. The last eight seasons he worked under Rams GM Les Snead alongside head coach Sean McVay, who have employed the same strategy with regard to future picks. The Rams do not care about draft picks—last season was the first time the Rams made a pick in the first round since they took Jared Goff in 2016.
Los Angeles went to playoffs in six out of the last eight seasons, played in two Super Bowls and won one of them. Over that same period the Jaguars had three winning seasons and made the playoffs twice.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jags GM Explains ‘F--- Them Picks’ Mentality That Helped Land Travis Hunter.
