Travis Hunter is a premier prospect everyone is excited to see in the NFL. He just pulled off what could be one of the most impressive athletic feats ever—winning a Heisman Trophy while playing both wide receiver and cornerback. However, some pundits, like Colin Cowherd, worry that he could end up underachieving.
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Hunter is currently touted as a top-three draft prospect. He has everything an NFL scout could dream of. Quickness, ball skills, good route running, versatility, and he’s a good tackler. However, there are some weaknesses in his game too. Hunter is very lean rather than thick, making him susceptible to injuries. He also doesn’t have elite speed and needs to work on his footwork technique.
These are some of the things that worry Cowherd and his co-host John Middlekauf. They understand that Travis is a highly touted prospect, but also understand the dangers of hyping up a prospect before he’s done anything.
“I’m going to throw Travis Hunter out as a player that I think could underachieve,” Cowherd stated on his podcast. “I think coming to a bad team, he’ll have a lot of leverage, he’ll play both ways. I could see that being a problem.”
It’s a thoughtful remark for Cowherd to have. We can never assume anything in sports, but the assumption is that Hunter will try to play both ways in the NFL. He’s told us every chance he gets that he’s going to. And at his draft position, he will undoubtedly go to a bad team like the Giants.
This could lead to a power struggle over the rookie year between management and Hunter. Cowherd just wants people to be aware that his situation could get ugly quickly.
But nothing has happened yet. In fact, Hunter has shown himself to be nothing but a humble, team player. That’s why his co-host, Middlekauf, is more interested in what he will display at the NFL Combine. Specifically, will he announce himself as a cornerback, wide receiver, or both?
“It’ll be interesting if he says, ‘I’m here as a corner, but I also plan on playing wide receiver,'” Middlekauf remarked. “I do think it’s fair to say that most high-level people in any industry are very singular-focused, and it’s very difficult to spread yourself thin, especially when you’re factoring in youth,” said the former NFL scout.
“Just playing corner alone, think of the wide receivers right now in the NFL. You’re chasing those guys for 60, and 70 snaps as the #1 corner. And then he’d try to play full-time wide receiver? I think it would be borderline impossible,” he added.
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There’s certainly a lot of hype surrounding Hunter at the moment. The idea of having a No. 1 cornerback to lock up players like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Tyreek Hill—while also contributing as a No. 2 wide receiver—is just insane. But it’s a real possibility for Hunter. And he’s proved the doubters wrong up to this point, so who’s to say he won’t do it again?
Yet, Cowherd is right to have his concerns. Some players’ careers are doomed from the get-go because a bad franchise drafts them. JaMarcus Russell might be the best example. He was a star QB out of LSU who seemingly lost all of his abilities once he made it to the NFL.
But many agree what didn’t help was the fact that he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, who are regarded as one of the worst management teams in the league. Russell never developed and was out of the league after just 31 games.
So, we need to be wary of Hunter. But we should also leave some room for him to become the next face of the league. He has the talent and ability to do it.
