Travis Hunter continues to excel in his dual role as wideout and cornerback as he leads the Heisman rankings. Next year when he declares for the draft, he will be following a very short list of players who were dual-threat stars in college, including Deion Sanders, Charles Woodson, and Champ Bailey.
Advertisement
But all these stars have something in common- they all predominantly played only one position in the NFL- excelling as a DB. Will Hunter be able to do both when all these legends couldn’t? Patrick Peterson believes he can.
Peterson, during his appearance on the latest episode of Speak, stated that Hunter can play as both WR and DB in the league but it will come down to the number of snaps.
“I think he can but it’s going to come down to how much he can do it and at what level. Now, he’s playing at college level, 140 snaps. At what rate can he do both.”
He pointed out that the Buffs’ dual-threat star currently is playing 140 snaps in college, which won’t be possible in the NFL. So it will come down to the rate at which he can play both roles in the big leagues.
For this reason, the former All-Pro CB suggested that Travis should enter himself into the draft as DB, despite being excellent on both sides of the ball. Peterson believes that to succeed as a WR, Hunter would have to rely on good QB play. However, as a DB, he can excel as an individual player.
Being a consensus top-five pick, Hunter will probably go into a team with a bad QB situation which would hinder his ability as a wideout. He also pointed out that his ability to play in both roles will come down to the team that drafts him and if that team would be willing to give him snaps on both sides of the ball.
Keyshawn Johnson agreed with Peterson’s assessment that Travis has the versatility to play both roles. However, Johnson doesn’t envision him fitting into the same role as Peterson.
Johnson sees Travis Hunter playing as a wideout in the NFL
Keyshawn sees Hunter more as a receiver in the NFL and wants teams to draft him as one. He pointed out that playing the Buffs star as a wideout will help him grow in teams that have young QBs. Both the QB and Hunter can then develop alongside each other and establish a connection.
Johnson believes playing on the offensive side of the ball might prove to be more rewarding for Travis, increasing his ability to impact the game.
“If I’m drafting him, I’m drafting him as a receiver. Because I can utilize him. All the teams that have QBs have young QBs. I can grow him with those young QBs. He can grow with them, and I can get more value out of him, by lining him up in different spots.”
However, the former Jets wideout didn’t rule out Hunter playing on defense but mostly sees him playing 30 snaps in the second half of the game. He also believes playing as the receiver is more lucrative, with top players commanding over $30 million and this figure will continue to rise.
It will be hard for Travis Hunter to play both positions against guys faster and bigger than him. Increased workload also increases the risk of injuries and short careers. The star player has a tough decision to make as he gears up to join the big leagues.
