Analysis: Young GM rolls the dice

Thirty-four-year-old Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone made a bold move, one most general managers in the NFL wouldn’t make. In a blockbuster trade with the Browns to acquire the No. 2 overall pick of the NFL Draft, Gladstone rolled the dice and acquired Colorado wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter.

I have never met Gladstone, nor do I know anybody who has. He comes off as sort of awkward and goofy in interviews and pressers. Maybe he’s just nervous around a camera.

But I love the move. Most general managers would’ve kept their picks and made a ho-hum choice on a player who might have a good but short three-year career. Carolina, Las Vegas, Chicago Dallas, Cleveland and both New York teams have been doing that same old strategy, and it hasn’t really worked out well for them.

Gladstone opted for a different route. The NFL is a win-now business, just like college football. I have a friend who has been a season-ticket holder in Jacksonville since the team arrived in the late-90s, and believe me when I say Jaguars fans really, really, really want the team to win now. By trading up to land Hunter, Gladstone shows he gets that, and Hunter has a chance to be an immediate impact player. There is no denying his skillset on the field.

Moreover, Gladstone is open to seeing Hunter play on both sides of the ball, whereas other teams want the Heisman Trophy winner to stick with his more natural position at cornerback. In his presser after the pick, Gladstone said he saw Hunter as a first-round wide receiver and first-round defensive back. Thereby giving up next year’s first-rounder, he essentially sees the franchise getting two players in one.

I have no idea if it’ll work out for either party. It could be either the greatest move of the young general manager’s career or the biggest mistake of his life, all depending on how Hunter plays. Either way, it’s a move that makes logical sense.

Good for the young general manager.