Even though he has yet to touch a blade of the NFL’s grass, Travis Hunter is already appearing to be a superstar in his own right. His potential to break the football meta and revolutionize the way that skill positions are played has fans from around the nation counting down the moments until he attempts what many have said to be impossible.
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Nevertheless, First Things First’s Nick Wright believes that every bit of the hype surrounding Hunter is “earned media.” Believing Hunter to be as genuine as he is he is talented, Wright believes that the sky is the limit for the 21-year-old hybrid.
“None of it seems fake, none of it seems forced, and he just seems awesome. I do believe that he is going to, with regularity, be on shows like this where it’s like, ‘Welp, for the first time, in 78 years, we had a football player have two pass deflections, 60 yards receiving, and a punt return.’ He’s so special and he’s got such good discipline.”
Wright’s co-host and long-tenured analyst, Chris Broussard, found himself suggesting the same, indicating that Hunter fever may be starting to sweep the nation. However, Broussard did maintain that simply being competent on both sides of the ball would not be enough to grant him superstar status.
According to the former ESPN personality, Hunter will need to be elite in order to prove for it not to be just a gimmick.
“I think he does have a chance to be one of the faces of the league because he might go both ways. I do also think that he has to be great at one of the ways. If he’s just a productive, solid receiver and DB, it’ll be big initially but it’ll fade away… If he’s a phenomenal or a great receiver and a good defensive back, then I think he can be in that conversation.”
In noting that Hunter impressively managed to become an Academic All-American while also dominating the world of football, Wright couldn’t help but to fawn over the former Buffalo alongside Broussard. Seeing as the Jaguars are rumored to be starting Hunter off on offense first, it seems as if their wish may just come true after all.
"They want him to learn the offense, like make that a priority first. … Then they'll feed him the defense."@DanGrazianoESPN says the Jags expect Travis Hunter to contribute on both sides of the ball 😤 pic.twitter.com/90JF4C1USJ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 12, 2025
Allowing the rookie some additional time to learn the defense rather than the offense appears to be the best way to go about introducing a product of his kind to the NFL. Considering that everything about Hunter’s skill set defies tradition in one way or another, it’s likely that his development will be a learning process for everyone.
Nonetheless, both fans and analysts alike seem to be excited to attend the first lesson. For better or worse, Hunter’s attempt to master two positions at an NFL level should prove to be a generational experiment. Seeing as he’s already managed to sell more merchandise than any of the other incoming rookies, there are plenty of indicators that suggest he’s already well on his way.
