How Travis Hunter's impact on Jaguars defense goes beyond CB position

Travis Hunter's impact on the Jacksonville Jaguars has the potential to reach beyond the cornerback and wide receiver positions.

The expectation right now is that Hunter will see more opportunities on defense this season, starting at cornerback opposite of Monataric Brown. He brings impressive ball skills and instincts to this position.

And as ESPN's Jaguars beat reporter Michael DiRocco explained, Hunter's presence at cornerback and those abilities could end up benefiting the Jacksonville pass rush.

"The team did little in the offseason to address one of its biggest weaknesses (32 sacks, ranked 27th) but believes Hunter's elite coverage skills as the team's No. 1 corner will make the overall coverage significantly better," DiRocco wrote. "That will give the rush more time to get to the quarterback, which will result in more pressures and sacks."

During offseason programs, Anthony Campanile discussed how better pairing the pass rush and coverage defenders together can lead to more sacks and pressures.

While Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker will lead the way up front, as DiRocco highlights, more overall pass rush consistency around those two is needed this season.

Hunter's stickiness in coverage can help buy the pass rush time as the quarterback holds the ball and moves to his next read. ESPN's Ben Solak is "very bullish" on Hunter's future at the cornerback position.

"Defensively, when he's out there on the field, man, stickier coverage, more sacks, more pressures, that's the name of the game, rushing (and) coverage and we want our best players out there on the field at all times," said Josh Hines-Allen of Hunter, while appearing on NFL Network earlier this offseason.

Hunter did not participate in the on-field portion of OTAs and minicamp as he continues to recover from his knee injury, but back in April, GM James Gladstone said that the plan for Hunter was for him to be at "full tick" come training camp.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How Travis Hunter's impact on Jaguars defense goes beyond CB position