JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — When two-way superstar Travis Hunter first spoke to the Jacksonville Jaguars from the NFL draft Thursday night, both coordinators were on the other end of the phone.

It won't be the last time they have to share Hunter.

The Jaguars traded up three spots to select the Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Jacksonville gave up four picks — including second- and fourth-rounders this year and their 2026 first-rounder — to land one of the most intriguing NFL prospects in draft history and set the tone for a new regime that features first-time general manager James Gladstone, first-time head coach Liam Coen and first-time executive vice president Tony Boselli.

“There are players that you can target and acquire who alter the trajectory of a game,” Gladstone said. “There are very few, and it’s rare to be able to target and prioritize a player who can alter the sport itself. And Travis is somebody that we view has the potential to do that.”

The Jags also received a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder in return from the Browns, with both picks coming in this draft. Gladstone said the sides first discussed a potential trade early this month and had the framework in place two weeks ago.

It became official minutes after Tennessee chose Miami quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1. Hunter will join franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Pro Bowl receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to create the core of Coen’s offense — and maybe his defense, too.

Hunter told NFL teams he plans to play both sides of the ball as a pro. The Jaguars envision him primarily as a receiver — he will start opposite Thomas and should give Lawrence another dynamic playmaker — but plan to have defensive packages for him.

“There’s no pressure,” Hunter said. “There's no pressure for me. I just got to go out there and do my job, be Travis Hunter. They did everything they could to come get me. Now, I got to do everything I could to help win and help the organization, uplift them.”

Deion Sanders, who played defensive back and receiver during his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, coached Hunter at Jackson State and Colorado and had no qualms about playing him both ways.

Hunter played a whopping 1,461 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. By comparison, Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II, voted the NFL’s defensive player of the year, played 978 snaps over 17 games — all on defense.

Sanders allowed Hunter to take several days off after games to recuperate, a luxury he’s unlikely to have as a rookie.

“We look forward to onboarding Travis,” Gladstone said. “For the start, our plan there is to have a heavier dose of offense early, knowing his more natural position is on defense. Offense certainly requires a lot of nuance, a lot of adjustments, and so I want to make sure he gets off to a good start in that sort of mental frame of mind. And then as we continue to build and get on the grass and even out that balance as time goes on.”

Last season, Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns and notched 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups, eight forced incompletions and four interceptions while allowing just one touchdown.

Gladstone, Coen and Boselli wanted to make a splash with their top pick. After weeks of speculation about staying put at No. 5 and selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, they made a much bolder move.

Now, it’s up to trio to get the most out of Hunter.

“It was an awfully enjoyable moment in time," Gladstone said. “It's certainly one that I’ll remember and look forward to seeing the playback here in the coming minutes, hours, days that lie ahead, just so I can relive that.”

Witt's hit streak reaches 16 games, Royals beat Rockies 6-2 to wrap up doubleheader, series sweep

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. extended his hitting streak to a career-best 16 games with an RBI single in the fifth inning, and the Kansas City Royals went on to beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2 on Thursday to cap off a doubleheader and series sweep.

Salvador Perez had three hits and a pair of RBIs, and Vinnie Pasquantino, Michael Massey and Drew Waters also drove in runs, helping the Royals win their fourth consecutive game on the heels of a six-game losing streak.

Michael Lorenzen (2-3) allowed one run on five hits and three walks over six innings for Kansas City, striking out seven.

Chase Dollander, the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft, continued to go through rookie growing pains for Colorado. Dollander (1-3) allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks before leaving with two out in the fifth inning.

Jordan Beck homered twice for Colorado in Game 2 of the doubleheader. He also went deep in Game 1.

Kansas City rallied for a 7-4 victory in the opener, caused by a rainout Wednesday night, and the sweep left the Rockies at 4-20 — the worst start in club history. They also matched a franchise record with their 13th consecutive road loss. Their lone win away from Coors Field came in Tampa Bay on March 29, in their first series of the season.

Colorado has lost 11 consecutive series since taking two games from Arizona last September.

Key moment

The Royals were leading 3-0 when Jonathan India hit a two-out double in the fifth. Witt followed with his RBI single, and Perez added a two-run double two batters later, giving Kansas City a 5-0 lead.

Key stat

The Royals (12-14) improved to 10-1 when scoring at least four runs this season.

Up next

Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-4, 4.85) starts their series opener against Cincinnati on Friday night. RHP Seth Lugo (1-3, 3.90) gets the nod for Kansas City as it welcomes Houston to town on Friday night.

Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog returns to lineup for Game 3 after missing 3 years with knee injury

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played out this moment Wednesday night in his mind again and again while working his back.

His return was everything he envisioned, too. The start, anyway, with all the cheers and that big early check to show, without a doubt, that he was indeed up to speed in his first NHL game in nearly three years.

It just didn't have the storybook finish.

Tyler Seguin scored 5:31 into overtime and the Dallas Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 to spoil Landeskog's return. Colorado trails 2-1 in the first-round series, with Game 4 on Saturday night in Denver.

“We’ve got work to do as a team and that’s what we’ll do,” Landeskog said. “Nonetheless, it felt great in all areas tonight, in terms of just being back. ... Very special night, regardless of the outcome and looking forward to Saturday already.”

Landeskog started alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. He played 13 minutes and led the team with six hits. His first one, though, made an immediate impression as he hit Stars forward Mikko Rantanen, who's his good friend and former teammate.

It was an emotional lead-up to the game for Landeskog, too. There were the ovations by the crowd, and chants of “Landy, Landy, Landy.” There were signs all over the arena, including one held up by his kids that read, “So proud of you Daddy!”

“That was as close as I got to losing it during warmup, when I looked over at that and seeing their big, smiling faces,” Landeskog said about his family. "They’ve probably been thinking that I’ve been lying this whole time that I play hockey.

“They were 1 and 2 when I last played and now they’re 5 and 4. They’re growing up. We’ve got another one on the way coming this summer. It just puts it in perspective how much time has passed. It’s very special.”

The team showed a video tribute of him as well, with Landeskog tapping his heart in appreciation.

Landeskog made his first NHL appearance since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to capture the Stanley Cup. He was sidelined because of a chronically injured right knee.

The gap between his games with the Avalanche? Some 1,032 days.

He became the fifth player in NHL history — among those with a minimum of 700 games played — to return to his team after 1,000 or more days without a contest, according to NHL Stats. The last one to do so was longtime Avalanche forward and Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg.

Landeskog's presence on the ice figured to provide a big boost not only for his teammates but the capacity crowd. His No. 92 sweater is a frequent sight around the arena.

The noise in the building was loud, the energy was electric — until the end.

“Everyone is rooting for him. It's a great comeback story,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday morning. “I trust in Gabe’s preparation, and what I’m seeing with my own eyes that he’s getting close and ready to play. I think he feels really good about where he’s at.”

Landeskog’s injury goes back to the 2020 “bubble” season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of teammate Cale Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.

He was activated Monday before Game 2 in Dallas and skated in pregame warmups, but didn't play.

Stars forward Matt Duchene was teammates with Landeskog and they remain good friends.

“We’ve been rooting for him to come back,” said Duchene, who was the third overall pick by Colorado in 2009. "Obviously, it makes our job harder having a guy like that out there, but on the friends side, the human side and the fellow athlete side, I think everyone’s happy to see the progress he’s made. ... I’m just really happy that he’s gotten to this point.”

It doesn't mean the Stars will take it easy on Landeskog.

“It’s remarkable he’s coming back, if he’s coming back, as a friend,” said Rantanen, a 2015 first-round pick by Colorado before being traded in January to Carolina and on to Dallas in March. “As an opponent, obviously, no mercy.”

The feeling is mutual.

“Regardless of what jersey he wears, I love him. He’s a good friend of mine,” Landeskog said of Rantanen. “But in this series, we’re not friends when we’re playing.”

The 32-year-old Landeskog recently went through a two-game conditioning stint with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. He's practiced with the Avalanche leading up to their opener in the NHL playoffs.

“It’s exciting to have him back in the room and back with us,” Makar said. “Thought he played really well so hopefully he continues that way. He’s definitely big to have back in the room.”