Travis Hunter cemented his legacy in college football as a rare dual-threat Heisman winner, excelling as both a wide receiver and a cornerback. Now, as he prepares for the NFL, he remains determined to continue playing both sides of the ball. But despite his confidence, many within the league are skeptical.
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Critics question whether he’ll be able to withstand the physical and mental demands of doing so at the professional level. The latest on that list is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce recently issued a cautionary message to Hunter, advising him against replicating his college-level play in the pros. He emphasized how hard it is to even master one position in the NFL, let alone two. According to Kelce, opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks will intentionally test Hunter if he lines up on defense, launching deep passes in his direction to exhaust him.
“I don’t know how they’re going to divvy it out. I don’t know because teams are going to be going after him. They’re going to try and make his day miserable. Dude, if he plays corner, they’re just going to run deep balls at him all day … the wide receivers just take off on him all day. Just to try to get him tired. Why wouldn’t you just attack him that way?”
In Kelce’s eyes, it won’t be long before the sheer grind of the NFL forces Hunter to focus on just one side of the ball.
If Travis Hunter has his doubters, he certainly has his believers, too. One of them is Jaguars insider John Shipley, who publicly questioned Travis Kelce’s recent comments. Shipley came to the defense of the Heisman winner, arguing that the Jaguars will have a clear plan to protect and maximize Hunter’s impact, especially as a wide receiver.
Shipley acknowledged that things will be physically demanding for Hunter, but emphasized that’s true for every NFL player, not just him. That’s simply the nature of the league. He pushed back on the idea that opposing teams would go out of their way to get overly physical or scheme specifically to wear Hunter down.
According to Shipley, if other teams try to overcommit to stopping Hunter, it could actually backfire, creating more space and opportunity for the rest of the Jaguars’ offense.
“I don’t believe players are going to get themselves up just to be extra physical with Travis Hunter. To me, it makes a little sense. So teams are going to be set out to be ultra physical with the Jaguars’ number 2 wide receiver? Maybe, they will. I just think that’s just an odd stance if they do. If teams want to devote their resources to stopping Hunter or making him tired, that just opens things up for Brian Thomas.”
As for Kelce’s concern that teams will run at Hunter to tire him out on defense, Shipley countered that the Colorado alum has the skill set to handle it. He’s not afraid of contact, he’s physically tough, and he has the athleticism to recover, outmaneuver, or even outmuscle most wideouts. In Shipley’s view, there are only so many ways teams can realistically try to neutralize a player as versatile and gifted as Travis Hunter.
“And at CB, what are they going to do? Run at him? You know where they are going. I don’t see how you make his life miserable. He is not playing QB or RB, or Offensive Line. So, if the Jaguars have a player who teams have their players run dummy routes, to make him tired, how is that not an advantage for the Jaguars?”
Whether opposing teams adopt Kelce’s strategy remains to be seen—we won’t know for sure until the Colorado alum steps onto the field as a cornerback or wide receiver. But if any team tries to wear him down, Jaguars offensive coordinator Liam Coen and his staff are smart enough to recognize it and adjust accordingly. One way or another, Travis Hunter will make an impact—and when he does, it’s going to be significant.
