We rarely see an NFL prospect play two positions on either side of the ball, let alone play both at an extraordinary level. There have been prospects to play on both sides of the ball, but they’ve mostly been clearly better at one position. Players that come to mind in more recent years are Jabrill Peppers and Myles Jack who played linebacker and runningback, but were both clearly defensive prospects. Adoree Jackson is another who played both wide receiver and cornerback, but again was clearly a defensive prospect. There are also several examples of interior defensive linemen playing, or moving to, fullback, like Patrick Ricard, Scott Matlock and Nikita Whitlock. The last true example of a “two-way” prospect comes last year with Sione Vaki; he was a college safety who filled in at runningback when needed for the Utah Utes. He ended up playing well enough to receive legitimate interest as a prospect at both his natural safety position and runningback. Despite his limited action as a college runningback, the Detroit Lions would end up drafting him as one.

This year, there’s a new two-way prospect. One that everyone knows, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter. There were false narratives from people who opposed Travis Hunter’s Heisman candidacy that he was neither a top cornerback nor a top wide receiver in college football. The false narrative continues with the argument that he was awarded the trophy simply because he played both sides of the ball and accumulated the most snaps. However, this is a very foolish narrative that gets disproven very quickly both statistically and on tape. It was not only unique that he played nearly every snap every game, but he played every single snap at an extraordinary level. For that reason, he’s a highly touted prospect as both a cornerback and a wide receiver. In fact, one could make a strong case that he’s the best prospect in this upcoming draft at each position. Though playing both positions nearly every snap in the NFL is something we haven’t seen, at least in quite some time. This means he’ll likely be drafted to play one position full-time and play a part time role on the other side of the ball. There have been quite a few NFL players to do this, and do it at a high level. Possibly the most notable being Hunter’s college coach, Deion Sanders. I’m sure Hunter will be looking to follow in his mentor’s footsteps, both in role and on-field success. With that, the big question is whether Hunter is capable of this. My answer… yes!

I’ll give my scouting reports for Hunter as a prospect at each position he plays. Then I’ll finish with my final verdict of what position he should play and his role in the NFL.

Travis Hunter: The Wide Receiver

Stats and Measurements:

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 185
Proj. 40: 4.43
Career Stats: 170 Rec, 2,166 Yds, 24 TDs, 4 Drops. 3 Att, -5 Yds, 1 TD, 2 Fum.
2024 Season Stats: 96 Rec, 1,258 Yds, 15 TDs, 3 Drops. 2 Att, 5 Yds, 1 TD.

Athletic Ability and Body Type:

Hunter has solid height, marginal weight, solid arm length, a very slender build, solid muscle definition, and a frame that needs to be filled out. He has very good explosiveness, acceleration, lateral quickness, change of direction and agility, good running speed, and adequate balance.

Projection:

Hunter is a good starting Z or Slot receiver in any passing scheme with elite potential who you can win with as a #1 receiver. He wins with his elite ball skills and very good awareness to find voids in the defense and get himself open. He’s a very good athlete who outmatches many defenders with his quickness, agility, and explosiveness at the release and throughout his route. He has a good understanding of route stemming and uses it to gain leverage, allowing him to separate well against zone coverage. He has elite concentration, hands, an ability to adjust around his frame and control his body, making him a very reliable receiver and capable of making difficult catches. He’s impressive after the catch with his ability to get upfield quickly, elude defenders, and use his explosiveness to outrun defenders’ tackling angles. He’s a willing run blocker and a pretty effective one at that, who shows good effort and elite conditioning despite his unique workload. His drawbacks come with his size and strength; his slender frame, along with adequate strength and balance, gives him a hard time releasing through jams, fighting through contact during his routes, and separating against press-man coverage. Regardless of how much he plays receiver, he’ll be very impactful and has true elite receiver potential if he can develop his strength and balance.

Trait Grades:

Athletic Ability	6 (Very Good)
Play Speed	5 (Good)
Mental Processing	6 (Very Good)
Competitive Toughness	5 (Good)
Play Strength	3 (Adequate)
Release	4 (Solid)
Separation Quickness	5 (Good)
Hands	7 (Elite)
Adjust/Body Control	7 (Elite)
Yards after Catch (YAC)	6 (Very Good)
Find Seam	7 (Elite)
Concentration/Courage	6 (Very Good)

Grade:

7.00 – Pro Bowl Talent/Day 1 Starter

Travis Hunter: The Cornerback

Stats and Measurements:

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 185
Proj. 40: 4.43
Career Stats: 9 INT, 20 PBU, 921 Yds Allowed, 6 TD Allowed. 85 TKLs, 1 FF, 3 TFL.
2024 Season Stats: 4 INT, 7 PBU, 222 Yds Allowed, 1 TD Allowed. 36 TKLs, 1 FF, 1 TFL.

Athletic Ability and Body Type:

Hunter has good height, marginal weight, solid arm length, a very slender build, solid muscle definition, and a frame that needs to be filled out. He has elite change of direction and lateral quickness, very good explosiveness, acceleration, agility, good running speed, and adequate balance.

Projection:

Hunter is a very good starting cornerback capable of playing both to the field and boundary who’ll best fit in a scheme that utilizes press corners with a heavy dose of man coverage; though he’ll be able to fit into any scheme. He wins with his elite mental processing and instincts, elite man coverage ability, elite ball skills, and very good movement skills. He’s strong at the line of scrimmage with a very good ability to disrupt receivers’ release with his hand usage and ability to match releases with his feet. He has an elite ability to mirror receivers closely in coverage and is physical throughout the route. His elite instincts and ability to read and diagnose his keys in coverage make him a very strong defender in zone coverage as well. He has an elite ability to track the ball and make plays to disrupt catches and intercept the football. Though his physicality in coverage made him elite in college, it could make him prone to penalties in the NFL, where they’re more strict with hand usage throughout the route. He’s a good open-field tackler, especially when closing in on receivers when he’s playing zone coverage. He showed a good ability to fill run lanes, redirect runners and a solid ability to make tackles in the lane. He needs to improve his ability to act as a force player vs. the run and take better angles when taking on blocks to keep contain. Overall, he’ll be a very good cornerback immediately due to his elite processing, coverage skills, and ball skills, with the potential to be an All-Pro caliber lockdown cornerback.

Trait Grades:

Athletic Ability	6 (Very Good)
Play Speed	6 (Very Good)
Competitive Toughness	6 (Very Good)
Mental Processing	7 (Elite)
Play Strength	4 (Solid)
Man Coverage	7 (Elite)
Ball Skills	7 (Elite)
LOS Skills	6 (Very Good)
Run Support	4 (Solid)
Open Field Tackling	5 (Good)

Grade:

7.18 – Pro Bowl Talent/Day 1 Starter

Verdict:

Hunter is fully capable of playing either cornerback or wide receiver full-time and could potentially be elite at either. If he’s going to play only one full-time, though, it should be at cornerback, in my opinion. His ability is more unique at cornerback, and he’s capable of stepping in year one and playing at a top-of-position level. It’s generally harder to find cornerbacks of this quality than it is to find wide receivers. Or at least it’s “easier” to find productive receivers than it is to find quality starting corners. With all of the elite receivers in the NFL currently, it makes having a cornerback of Hunter’s caliber even more valuable. Knowing you have someone who’s capable of neutralizing any receiver in the NFL is a very rare luxury to have for coaches when building a gameplan. Despite being a “full-time” cornerback, he definitely should serve a role as a wide receiver. It might be unrealistic that he starts at both, but he should see snaps at wide receiver every game with the caliber of receiver he is. The best course of action would likely be to play him in certain personnels and situationally. For example, in 4 WR sets, he can serve as the fourth receiver that steps in. If a team is in a two-minute drill, or behind late in the game, then Hunter could come in at receiver. On the other hand, if he’s going to be a “full-time” wide receiver, he could serve in certain personnel packages and situationally at cornerback. This would likely look similar to how I described his role-playing usage offensively. Hunter could step in as an extra cornerback in six, seven or eight defensive back packages. He could also enter the game at cornerback when the defense needs to protect a lead later in the game or at the end of the first half. In either usage, he should excel. In the unlikely case he doesn’t work out in one of the roles, or doesn’t pan out at one of the positions, there are very good alternative options for his usage. As I mentioned, I see him more as a cornerback who’ll play wide receiver part-time. I can’t speak for certain, but I’m fairly sure majority of the NFL will see it that way too. He’s truly a special talent at cornerback.