Football
Travis Hunter is a unique talent unlike any the NFL draft has ever seen and is expected to be one of the first names called when the first round kicks off on April 24. As Hunter proved to be elite on both offense and defense while at Colorado, it remains a mystery as to what his role will look like at the NFL level, but his skill is so obscene that it’s a problem most teams would love to have.
Hunter, however, has a very strong opinion on how he should be used once he makes it to the big leagues. So strong, in fact, that he’d rather quit football if a team thought differently.
Speaking to Garrett Podell of CBS Sports, Hunter said the teams he’s met with haven’t objected to his desire to play both sides of the ball. But if they did, he wouldn’t play again.
“It’s never playing football again,” Hunter said in response to the idea his future team might limit him to one side of the ball. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it.”
It’s a strong stance, obviously. It seems unlikely a team will try to call him on the potential bluff, though. Hunter’s two-way skills are a large part of what make him such an attractive prospect. Refusing to allow him to utilize those skills would make for a head-scratching decision if he goes in the top five picks as expected.
But the question has never really been if Hunter will play both ways at all in the NFL. It’s how much he’ll be able to. It’s very taxing to spend a lot of time on both offense and defense from a mental and physical standpoint. That was true during Hunter’s days with the Buffaloes and will remain true at the next level.
Regardless, Hunter will likely get his opportunity to play both sides of the ball. Whether he would follow through on this threat or not.
Read More Liam McKeone