EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Travis Hunter knew he needed to gain some weight to help prepare his body for his second NFL season, but he was worried how that would affect the way he felt and moved.Turns out it's possible to be heavier and lighter at the same time.That's how Hunter described himself Friday after the Jacksonville Jaguars' third training camp practice. He is 10 pounds heavier but faster than he has ever been, which he proved by running almost 23 mph while training this offseason amid a nine-month rehab from a knee injury that cost the two-way player most of his rookie season."Everybody like, 'Gain weight, gain weight,'" Hunter said. "Coach [Liam Coen] was like, 'Hey, play at whatever weight you're happy at.' So me just coming in and putting on them pounds, I was scared at first. I'm like, 'Oh dang, I've never played at this weight. I'm going to feel heavy. I'm not going to be able to do what I do.'"But training and being able to put those months in, not just on the grass, but in the weight room too, just putting in at the work, it made me feel lighter on my feet when I finally touched the grass."Hunter is listed at 185 pounds, and he reached 22.6 mph while working out at the Jaguars' practice facility. NFL NextGen Stats has kept track of each player during games since 2016 and logged their top speed. Only two players have posted a top speed of more than 22.6 mph in a game: Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert. Hill recorded the fastest time of any ball carrier since tracking began by hitting 23.24 mph on a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that was nullified by a penalty in 2016.Hunter said his goal is to crack 23 mph. Coen is still amazed that Hunter got faster than he was last season despite having surgery in November to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee."He's definitely got some of those freaky traits, right?" Coen said. "Where you're like, man, he just came off a leg injury and he's running maybe faster than he hit at times last year. I'm not sure if he ever hit 23 last year. I don't think so."He made a comment to me on the grass the other day that when he's running he feels lighter. So you put on 10 pounds of muscle [and] he feels lighter. I mean, that's a good thing, right?"Another good thing is that Hunter feels more comfortable with the offense and defense as he flip-flops between both during the first three practices of camp, something he didn't do until late in camp as a rookie. He has played 24 snaps on defense and 15 on offense during 11-on-11 work, which tracks with the Jaguars' stated plan for Hunter to primarily be at cornerback while also playing some offense."He's getting back in the flow, back in the swing of things, and he looks good," defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said. "Obviously, you never want to see anybody get injured, but I think he really put his best foot forward in the weight room as he was recovering from a lower-body injury. And really built up his upper body and everything. So he just looks really physical."That's a positive sign for Hunter in his first full practices since the Oct. 30 injury that ended his rookie season after seven games."Just get the rust off right now," said Hunter, who caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown and had 15 tackles and three pass breakups last season. "I've been gone for nine months, not able to be out here with my teammates for nine months, so finally being able to hit the grass, knock the rust off and just continue to click with the quarterbacks and click with the defense."
