A football, basketball, and track and field star in high school, Justin Hunter arrived in Knoxville as one of the best wide receiver prospects in the country. It didn’t take him long to show fans of the Tennessee Volunteers why. He earned All-Freshman honors in the SEC as a true freshman in 2010, the same year during which he also competed for Tennessee’s track and field team. A torn ACL impacted his sophomore season, but he came back in 2012 to post 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns. At his peak, he looked every bit the superstar. But, once he came back, there was a bit of a hitch in his giddyup. He just looked a little more apprehensive. Nonetheless, at 6’4″ and 200 pounds, Hunter possessed elite size at the position. The potential was still enough for him to be considered among the best receivers in the 2013 draft class – and to be fair, that was for good reason. In addition to his size, Hunter had tremendous speed and was spectacular at using his length to take advantage of defensive backs.
The Tennessee Titans selected him at the top of the 2nd round at 34th overall. It happened at a time when they were starting to invest more in the receiver position, but they had few hits. Kenny Britt looked like the second coming of Randy Moss at times, but he couldn’t get his shit together off the field. He wasn’t consistently that receiver. Hunter was the Titans’ 2nd round pick just a year after they invested a first in Kendall Wright. I liked Wright, but I never really understood the vision behind adding a gadgety speed guy like that in the offense the team was running at the time. Hunter was the latest attempt to really lock in their top guy in the receiving corps, and it felt like a tremendous value if Hunter lived up to his potential. Add in the reliable and steady Nate Washington and you’ve got quite the All-Potential receiving corps.
That 2013 draft class was a doozy – Chance Warmack, Hunter, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Zaviar Gooden, Brian Schwenke, Lavar Edwards, Khalid Wooten, and Daimion Stafford. Am I out of line for suggesting that Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who just signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, is the best of this class? In hindsight, it looks pretty bad, but at the time Hunter felt like a game-changer…a tremendous value #34.
Maybe the expectations were a little too lofty because of that, but it was hard not to get excited about the potential of the Titans receiving corps. The problem? We waited….and waited….and waited on Hunter to reach his potential. Ultimately, he never would. To be fair, the Titans didn’t exactly have the most dynamic offense at the time and Hunter had a rotating door of quarterbacks, but elite talent overcomes those situations. He came in and competed for the third spot on the depth chart his initial season, and would find himself competing for the third and fourth spot his whole career. Even when a busted old Andre Johnson came to town, Hunter couldn’t beat him out. His best season came in 2014, when he totaled 498 yards and three touchdowns on 28 catches before a lacerated spleen ended his season. 28 catches!!! 28 catches for a guy in his second year who was drafted to be your top receiver. What makes it worse is that those 28 catches came on 67 targets. They gave him ample time and plenty of opportunities to develop and for whatever reason, it just didn’t happen for him. You can’t help but consider him a disappointment, but he’s definitely one of the franchise’s biggest “what-ifs” too.
Hunter was let go by the Titans during Jon Robinson‘s first offseason with the team, in September of 2016. He’s a strong example of the old adage that talent gets you more opportunities than you deserve, as he bounced around between three other teams. We know what he was, but I can’t help but think back to the torn ACL in college and wonder what could’ve been if not for that injury.
Career stat line:
- College: 106 receptions, 1,812 yards, 18 touchdowns
- Titans: 68 catches, 1,116 yards, eight touchdowns
- NFL: 85 catches, 1,349 yards, 13 touchdowns
TENNESSEE TITANS THROWBACK THURSDAY ARCHIVES
- Drew Bennett
- Keith Bulluck
- Eddie George
- Michael Griffin
- Lavelle Hawkins
- Albert Haynesworth
- Chris Henry
- Chris Hope
- Brandon Jones
- Derrick Mason
- Dexter McCluster
- Steve McNair
- Myron Rolle
- Samari Rolle
- Alterraun Verner
- Ken Whisenhunt
- LenDale White
- Vince Young
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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