Travis Hunter has no time for reflection after first NFL pick

Travis Hunter didn’t have any time to think about it.

He snagged his first interception in the NFL during the first half of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 35-6 win against the New England Patriots, but didn’t have the time to celebrate the feat.

Hunter had to stay on the ready just in case his number was called on offense as the Jaguars tried to drive down the field and set up a potential scoring drive just before the half. Then he needed to make sure he didn’t allow any explosive plays that’d let the visitors back into the game in the second half.

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“It felt

great, but I was on to the next play, you know?” Hunter told reporters after the game. “That happened in the second quarter, so I had to finish the game.”

Hunter said they had plenty of reps of the goal line play in practice, so the team was prepared for it when it came up. New England quarterback Drake Maye panicked as linebacker Foye Oluokun and Josh Hines-Allen pursued him and threw the ball towards a receiver that he thought was open.

But Hunter used his athleticism to snag the pass out of the air and took points off the board.

“Travis did make the play,” head coach Liam Coen said. “Get the monkey off his back a little bit in some ways to go out there and make a huge play.”

Travis Hunter quiets the outside noise with his first NFL interception

Hunter almost got his first interception on the opening drive against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. He jumped a route, exploding towards the ball on a play that was routine for him in college.

He could’ve got an interception against Patriots’ pass catcher Mack Hollins earlier in the game as he leaped up to make a play on the ball, but mistimed his jump. It was almost as if his closeness on those plays deemed he’d get his chance eventually.

And when it came, he didn’t mess it up.

“I know he tried me a couple of times,” Hunter said after the game. “I was just in there saying I'm getting too close to the ball, I got to get me one.”

Hunter’s interception was a positive sign for him and the Jaguars overall. The team has been under scrutiny for their usage of Hunter—which isn’t necessarily a new thing as they faced similar reactions during Hunter’s rookie season.

There’s been questions of if he’s playing too little on offense? Is Hunter being effectively used on defense as the team has rotated their outside cornerbacks. Concerns have circulated with his former head coach Deon Sanders making comments about the Jaguars’ usage of the former Heisman winner, again.

With one play all of the noise was quieted. The only noise surrounding Hunter’s usage was the roar from EverBank Stadium as he jumped up off the ground with the ball in his hand and sprinted to the corner of the North endzone to celebrate with his teammates.

“We practiced hard. We made it hard on ourselves this week,” he said. “We made sure we didn't have any mistakes. We continued to just grind and just continued to go out there and show the practice squad that y'all can't get anything on us.”

The interception now gives him a pick on defense and a touchdown catch in his first 10 games in the NFL. And if you had to guess, more are on the way. Because Hunter is focused on the now, taking it a week at a time as the Jaguars try to stack wins for the first time this season.

“I don’t have time to be reflecting on my journey,” Hunter said. “Just got to continue to be focused on where my feet are and just go out there and play. The coaches put me out there for a reason, so I have to just go out there and do my job.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Travis Hunter has no time for reflection after first NFL pick