NFL Draft Experts Weigh In On What Position WR/CB Travis Hunter Will Play In NFL

Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy this past season for a remarkable year in which he was not just a two-way player, but the most effective two-way player in a long, long time in college football. 

Now Hunter’s off to the NFL and is not expected to fall outside of the top five or perhaps even the top three picks. The biggest question is actually where Hunter will play. He ended the past season with well over 1,000 snaps, but in just 13 games. That’s not realistic to project carrying over to the NFL, so teams will have to decide where they believe Hunter will be the most effective. 

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer talked to NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah and former ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, and also poked around with some of his NFL contacts. The general consensus was that for Hunter to play two ways in the NFL, he would need to be a full-time player on defense and a package player on offense. 

Breer explained it would be much harder for teams to prepare Hunter mentally to be a package player on defense, but on offense it would be simple. He points out Hunter attended defensive meetings and spent most of his practice time at corner at Colorado, then when he went into the game on offense the sideline would signal in his route. 

“I think he’s a more advanced receiver and better receiver than he is a corner,” McShay said. “But I don’t see a scenario where he’s a full-time receiver that you’re working in packages as a corner. I think it’s the reverse. I think he’s rare. You have to have a plan. My plan would very likely be let’s develop him as a corner and put in installs every week where we utilize him at wide receiver.”

If Hunter were to stick to one position, Breer noted teams might pick corner because great players at that position are harder to find. But McShay and Jeremiah both thought Hunter could be a better receiver right now than he is a cornerback, even though he’s outstanding at both spots. 

“I thought he was more impactful offensively just because he’s touching the ball so much,” Jeremiah said. “I saw that for two years. Last year, corner-wise and doing him over the summer, there was a little more raw, not as consistent. He was more on the impactful side offensively. … He’s improved drastically coverage-wise from last year to this year.”

Hunter is listed as a defensive back at this week’s Scouting Combine but Breer notes it was more for logistical reasons to allow him to do drills for both defensive backs and receivers. 

Hunter, 21, was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class and originally committed to Florida State. Hunter later flipped his commitment to Jackson State to play for legendary NFL CB Deion Sanders, becoming the first five-star to sign with an HBCU.

After a season at Jackson State, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado in 2023. He was a two-way player as both a cornerback and wide receiver, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2024 for his efforts. 

In 2024, Hunter appeared in 13 games for Colorado. On defense, he recorded 36 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, four interceptions and 11 pass deflections. On offense, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, plus rushed for another score. 

We’ll have more on Hunter as the news is available.