The term “generational” gets overused when it comes to draft prospects, but if Travis Hunter doesn’t fit the bill, then no one does. Hunter won the Bednarik Award for best defensive player in the country and the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s best wide receiver. Now he finds himself as a coveted prospect at both positions in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter has been adamant that he wants to continue to play both ways in the NFL, but that seems far-fetched at the professional level. Still, the fact that it’s even a credible discussion speaks to Hunter’s otherworldly athleticism and overall skill level. It’s hard to plant a flag one way or the other because it would be spectacular to see him play wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL, but he’s going to have to pick one.
Right now, his game is more polished at cornerback, where his length, speed and understanding of the game made him a nightmare to throw at for offenses.
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Why Travis Hunter should play CB to start in NFL
His athleticism shines in man coverage and he can be a handful for wide receivers as they try to stay open downfield. Even on a crosser route, Hunter has the speed and the skills to make a play on the ball while he’s chasing from behind.
That same athleticism applies when he has the opportunity to defend routes on the outside. Hunter has an innate skill to make plays on the ball when it’s in the air, making him a nightmare to throw against on go routes near the sideline. If a pass isn’t perfect, more often than not it feels like Hunter is able to make a play on the ball.
Travis Hunter is a unicorn who projects as both CB1 and a first-round wide receiver. What does his NFL future look like? (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports)
These skills make him scheme-proof in terms of future fits in the NFL. The athleticism and ability to stay in front of opponents will get him drafted highly, but his willingness to take chances in zone coverage and be an aggressive playmaker has people so excited and enamored with his play at cornerback.
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Hunter had one of the most impressive interceptions of the season last year against UCF. After peeling off a wheel route (which perhaps should have been covered!) that the quarterback didn’t have the space to throw to, Hunter’s instincts popped in and he made a beeline toward the checkdown option as the quarterback’s space condensed in the pocket. This is where brain and brawn come together for Hunter — the brain to know he had the opportunity to take a risk and jump a pass and the closing speed to pull it off.
While his desire to gamble in these situations will let him be a turnover machine in the NFL, it gets him in trouble every once in a while. Hunter likes to try and undercut routes or guess where a receiver is going sometimes, leaving him vulnerable to explosive plays after the catch. Occasionally Hunter will jump in the wrong direction at the top of a route and give up a handful of yards, but it’s better for him to be a risk-taker with his skills.
Hunter is a willing tackler as well, but that’s not going to be what gets him drafted highly as a defensive player. It’s the coverage ability. The rare click and close, instincts, willingness to make plays downhill and man coverage ability project Hunter as a top-of-the-line NFL cornerback.
Is Travis Hunter’s prowess as a CB boxing in his potential as a WR?
What makes him such a unique and rare prospect is the idea that he can play offense as well — and he was incredibly productive at it.
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Some of the same things that make him such a great cornerback prospect are also the traits that make him a real wide receiver prospect, even if he isn’t as polished on that side of the ball. Hunter is still working on his release package and consistency while running routes. That didn’t hamper his production (15 touchdowns and over 1,200 yards) because he’s playing against defenders who are well beneath his talent level.
When Hunter can operate in space using short routes that highlight his explosion, or catch passes on a screen, he can be a deadly player with the ball in his hands.
While Hunter was explosive with the ball in hands, Colorado didn’t ask him to run the most complex route tree. There were a lot of screens, go-balls, hitches and comebacks that kept his role simple-ish while maximizing his touches. He’s able to snap off and create space for himself on routes where he’s working back down toward the line of scrimmage. Overall, a lot of Hunter’s production came just from being a player that is as talented as Travis Hunter.
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Still, he has shown an ability to win off of the line at times, which makes him instantly unguardable.
The holes in Hunter’s abilities as a wide receiver seem to be built on being able to conserve him throughout the course of a game considering he’s playing both sides. Not only are a lot of his routes simple tasks that are asking him to win with athleticism rather than skill, but he really wasn’t asked to block in college, which will have to change in the NFL if he’s going to be a full-time WR.
It’s actually promising that Hunter was able to produce in this manner considering he isn’t a finished product, but, again, the physical traits alone would make him a first-round pick at wide receiver.
Where NFL scouts see Travis Hunter playing
Opinions from scouts are just as split as they are in the media. Two scouting sources who spoke with Yahoo Sports said they viewed Hunter as a cornerback who could play a handful of snaps per game on offense in a role that tries to get him the ball in space. Another source said they viewed Hunter as a wide receiver because of the value of being able to generate big plays on offense.
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Either way, it’s remarkable that Hunter has found himself in this rarefied air. He has CB1 projections while also profiling as an explosive weapon in the passing game — truly a one-of-one type of prospect. Starting him at cornerback is probably where he’ll be best right away and he can make the leap into true stardom, but trying him out in a full-time role at wide receiver is defensible too, even if he’s further away there.
Unicorn. That’s the best way to describe Hunter, who will be one of the first players off of the board in April.
