As we sit here, one week away from the 2025 NFL Draft, we still have uncertainties surrounding Travis Hunter. Where will he begin his professional career? Will he be a wide receiver in the league? A cornerback? Both?
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We know Hunter’s aspirations. He has his heart set on starting at both of his collegiate positions. That, though, is borderline unprecedented in the NFL. And some pretty fantastic football players, like Shannon Sharpe, don’t think it’s physically possible for someone to do so. Cam Newton shares Sharpe’s opinion.
On the latest episode of his 4th&1 podcast, the former QB said Hunter is “delusional to the toll” that manning both posts will take on his body.
However, Newton is not opposed to letting Hunter try to back up his talk. When asked whether Hunter should get a separate payment if he is playing in the NFL as a CB and a WR, Cam explained:
“Let him play [both sides]. And then if he struggles, have a realization to say, ‘hey, even though your competitiveness wants you to play two ways, you’re not helping us… you’re becoming a liability’… let the dude go out and play whatever he want to play and we’ll figure it out,” he explained.
There’s a near-universal belief that Hunter can – and will – dominate if he devotes himself to one position. But he’s adamant about becoming the NFL’s first true two-way superstar. And one of his potential landing spots appears willing to let him give it a go.
Meanwhile, Travis continues to be compared to the likes of the greatest in professional sports in the USA.
NFL GM: Travis Hunter is like Shohei Ohtani
In 1996, Deion Sanders earned a first-team All-Pro nod at cornerback. While dominating defensively, he posted 36 receptions, 475 yards, and a touchdown at wide receiver. Hunter clearly believes he can provide similar production on offense – if not exceed it – without losing a step defensively. He wants the opportunity to show he’s an echelon above what would typically be classified as a generational player.
As mentioned, there are plenty of NFL players who don’t think he can succeed in his mission. One man who isn’t willing to lower Hunter’s ceiling, though, is Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry. When speaking with reporters ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, he compared Hunter to Major League Baseball megastar Shohei Ohtani.
“We wouldn’t necessarily put a cap… on what he could do. We would want to be smart in terms of how we started him out. I think I’ve mentioned before, we would see his first home as receiver… [but] it’s a little bit like [Shohei] Ohtani… you obviously get a unicorn if you can play him both ways.”
The Browns already have an incredible defensive leader in edge rusher Myles Garrett. The offense didn’t take the jump they hoped it would when trading for Deshaun Watson in 2022, but there are intriguing pieces on that side of the ball. Tight end David Njoku (2023) and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (2024) each made a Pro Bowl despite Watson making a combined 13 starts those years.
If Cleveland takes Hunter at No. 2 overall, head coach Kevin Stefanski could still land a high-end quarterback prospect in the second round. Together, Hunter and that prospect could potentially propel the Browns back to the postseason. The Dawg Pound will certainly be hoping such a chain of events unfolds once the Draft begins at 8:00 p.m. E.T. on Apr. 24.
