Weeks before the 2025 NFL Draft, Travis Hunter wants to take his two-way game to the next level. The Colorado two-way star, when asked how many snaps he’d play in the NFL, had a thoughtful response. “All of them, if they give me the chance and opportunity to do it,” Hunter said at the Colorado Pro Day.
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This response by Hunter was met with applause and concerns alike by experts-cum-former players. While Shannon Sharpe expressed fear over injuries, Chad Johnson saw it as an opportunity for Hunter to perform something unique in the league.
Meanwhile, former NFL wide receiver and SPEAK co-panelist Keyshawn Johnson, too, had an honest take on the Hunter scenario. When Joy Taylor asked him, “How long can Hunter play both sides of the ball?,” Keyshawn offered a reality check to Hunter.
“If we talk about season-wise, 18 weeks, 17 games, averages of about 130 snaps, 158 snaps if he were to play special teams. I wouldn’t put him on special teams as a returner. I’d say he could do bits and pieces of it throughout the season.
“But I can’t see whether he’s going to be able to. I don’t give a damn what he say. 130 snaps a game, both sides. Maximising his ability on both sides. I just don’t see it. Because, it’s totally different in the NFL than in High School and College football,” Keyshawn outlined.
While adding that he and fellow panelist Will Blackmon played both ways in high school and college, Keyshawn spoke about the difficulty of playing 130 snaps in an NFL game. He outlined the issues from a focus standpoint, and how tired a player would get if they played on both sides for such a high number of snaps.
“I understand that he wants to do it. If I was drafting him, I would tell him, we’re going to use you on both sides. It just won’t be 130 snaps,” Keyshawn concluded while Taylor reminded him that Hunter has averaged 111.5 snaps in college.
Reacting to Taylor, Blackmon chose to delve into the distinction between playing as a two-way player in college and in the NFL.
“It’s very different like you mentioned about playing both sides of the football. I did at BC and I was playing close to 100 snaps and I returned punts and returned kicks. So I did all three phases. I can see him playing both sides of the football his entire career, but not starting on both sides,” Blackmon explained.
In college, Hunter played 709 offensive snaps and 713 defensive snaps last season. He had the most total snaps in a season by any player (1,484) since at least 2017. While that feat is impressive in college, it remains to be seen whether Hunter can perform the same way in the NFL, like Chuck Bednarik, who retired from football way back in 1962.
Meanwhile, if Travis decides to play all the snaps, it could be history in the NFL. “They say, nobody has ever done it, for real, the way I do it. But I tell them, ‘I’m just different,” Hunter said, in February.
But with injury concerns and the players who are more physical in the NFL, whether Hunter’s decision should be allowed to be implemented is for the NFL coaches to decide. Undoubtedly, Deion Sanders has already given Hunter the green signal to play all the snaps. But is that enough?
