Travis Hunter did something unprecedented last year. He finished as a top-five cornerback and a top-five receiver in the nation (per PFF) en route to a Heisman Trophy. Even Ashton Jeanty truthers have to admit that 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps at that level is an impressive accomplishment deserving of recognition.
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With 15 receiving touchdowns, he was tied for second in the nation. He also finished 10th among CBs after allowing a 39.9 passer rating on the year. Hunter, standing at six feet tall and 190 pounds, can run like the wind and cut on a dime. He’s going to be a problem stopping in the open field. That’s why Hall of Famer Devin Hester, the greatest return man in NFL history, thinks that Hunter can make a massive impact on both sides without playing a ton of snaps.
While discussing Hunter with Kay Adams on her Up & Adams show, Hester, a returner and receiver in his day, talked about how he would use the Heisman winner. Instead of trying to force him to choose either CB or WR or having him play full-time at both positions, Hester believes in a more nuanced approach that could maximize Hunter’s impact while limiting his snaps.
“Just say like I’m a defensive player but I wanna play offense, of course I’m gonna say I wanna play offense because I want the ball! So if I play 20 snaps a game on offense, but I start on defense, but I touch the ball eight times,” he stated.
“I don’t wanna play 50 snaps on offense. 50 snaps on offense and touching the ball twice is a waste of time. If he can play 20 snaps on offense and touch the ball eight times, that’s perfect with a guy like Travis. Because touching the ball eight times a game, he’s gonna at least score twice a game.”
Devin Hester believes Travis Hunter only needs to touch the ball 8 times a game to score at least 2 TDs a game in the NFL. @heykayadams | @D_Hest23 pic.twitter.com/BXj8LwuPR5
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 10, 2025
It sounds like a smart way to deploy Travis Hunter so as not to overwork him early in his career. However, Hunter will always be pushing for the full complement of snaps. Some may say he’s a diva, but divas don’t work as hard as Hunter has to for the possibility of playing both ways to even be remotely realistic. In fact, Hunter himself has spoken about how much he’s willing to dedicate to football to make it happen.
“All of them. If they give me the chance and opportunity to do it. … We got 24 hours in a day, and we probably sleep for about eight of them, So we probably got about 16 more. All of them dedicated to football.”
Hunter has the type of immense belief in himself that only comes from hard work. The fact that nobody has done what he’s attempting to do makes him excited: “They say, ‘Nobody has ever done it, for real, the way I do it,’ but I tell them, ‘I’m just different.'”
The only question that remains is who will draft the unique prospect. It seems almost certain Hunter won’t drop past the New York Giants at No. 3. It’s really between them and the Cleveland Browns at No. 2. Either way, he’ll be joining a team with a lot of holes and will likely get a shot at both CB and WR in his first year.
