Travis Hunter discovered unexpected benefit after bulking up: I was scared at first

Travis Hunter’s newfound muscle won’t diminish his speed.The Jaguars star gained ten pounds over the offseason in order to better shape up for his second NFL season.

At first, Hunter was concerned about how he would move with the added weight.However, it doesn’t seem to be much of a concern for the two-way player as training camp opens.“So me just coming in and putting on them pounds, I was scared at first,” Hunter revealed.“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 the work, it made me feel lighter on my feet when I finally touched the grass.”Hunter, now listed at 185 pounds, reached a speed of 22.6 miles per hour while working out at the Jaguars’ facility.

Only two other instances of players reaching that speed have occurred since NFL NextGen Stats began tracking speed in 2016 with Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert.Hill has the known record since hitting 23.24 miles per hour in 2016.Hunter, who is coming off a November surgery to repair his right LCL, said his goal is to reach 23 mph.“He made a comment to me on the grass the other day that when he’s running, he feels lighter,” Jaguars head coach Liatm Coen said.

“So you put on ten pounds of muscle [and] he feels lighter.I mean, that’s a good thing, right?”Hunter is now partaking in his first full practices since his injury, which ended his rookie season after a mere seven games.“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.”...