Javian Hester, who is perhaps best known as JJ Hester, hopes to receive an opportunity to prove his worth in the NFL. Unfortunately, the former Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma wide receiver did not receive an invitation to minicamp as an undrafted free agent.
He does not understand the lack of interest.
I can sympathize with Hester. You have to believe in yourself before you everyone else does. It is hard to face the reality of the corporate world when your entire life up until this point has been dedicated to football. The stats just aren’t quite there but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a shot in the NFL!
Who is Javian Hester?
Hester ranked as the No. 3 player from the state of Oklahoma in the recruiting Class of 2020, a top-50 wide receiver and a top-350 player overall. He was considered a four-star prospect out of Booker T. Washington.
The big-framed pass-catcher projected as a Power 4 starter with a 4.65-second 40-yard dash and a vertical of 36.50 inches. Javian Hester received 19 scholarship offers from programs all over the country but he ultimately committed to Missouri.
His first season with the Tigers was not special but it showed his potential with time to develop. He caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. And then it was off to the transfer portal.
Hester landed at Oklahoma as a true sophomore and spent three seasons with the Sooners. Although he missed most of 2022 and 2023 with an injury, he caught 14 passes for 315 yards (22.5 YPC) and a touchdown as a redshirt junior in 2024. It looked like the start of a true breakout campaign.
And then it was off to the transfer portal, again.
Hester spent last year at Kentucky. He caught only eight passes for 117 yards and four touchdowns.
Absolute perfection 👏@cutterBoley ➡️ @JJHester_8 pic.twitter.com/4zXTnDT2Pd
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 9, 2025
It was not quite the season Hester had hoped even though he proved his worth in the red zone. His college football career came to an end in November.
JJ Hester did not get an NFL opportunity.
The NFL Draft came and went. JJ Hester did not hear his name called. That was to be expected.
However, Hester thought he showed enough to get an invitation to mini camp as an undrafted free agent. He expressed his disappointment in a brutally honest post on social media.
“Not a single call or text after the draft, no camp invites at the least. it’s honestly crazy to think about. I’m not sure why life has played this way but ik Gods got a plan 💯 and it’ll all work out in the end.”
His post has been viewed more than five million times. The trolls are not being kind to Hester in the replies. It’s brutal but, to some extent, they are right. His stats do not jump off of the page. He played at three different schools.
Why does he deserve an opportunity to play in the NFL if he wasn’t any good in college?
Real ball-knowers understand the difference between tape and numbers. Hester was good when he was healthy and his quarterback threw his way. He scored a touchdown on one-fifth of his receptions. He averaged nearly 20 yards per catch.
Plus, he is a 6-foot-5, 203-pound wide receiver and the NFL loves to throw jump balls! There are a lot of other wide receivers who do not possess Hester’s frame who got an invite to minicamp. Why not him? Maybe the backlash to his post will earn him an invitation. All press is good press, right?