Colorado Buffaloes do-it-all star Travis Hunter is widely expected to be on of the top selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. Where he goes is still up in the air — as well as what position he’ll play. Apparently, NFL coaches have a clear opinion on the latte
A Number of NFL Coaches Believe Travis Hunter’s Main Position Will Be Cornerback in the League
The debate has been hashed repeatedly and will continue to be discussed as the 2025 NFL Draft nears: which side of the ball will Heisman Trophy-winning Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Hunter play on in the NFL?
At the college level, he was at the top of both. He received the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s most outstanding wide receiver, and was awarded the Bednarik Award for being the top defensive player in the country. The Heisman Trophy capped it all off.
Hunter was the best at his positions on both sides of the ball, putting himself in pole position to be a top selection in the draft. He recently stated his belief that he’d be the first overall pick.
How each team views him will likely determine where Hunter goes in the draft.
If he’s viewed as a wide receiver, pairing him with a young quarterback like Drake Maye would elevate the New England Patriots’ offensive talent immediately, a need the team will likely hope to address with the fourth pick.
Say he somehow falls to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fifth selection; Hunter could arguably benefit the defense more so than the offense. With former LSU Tigers wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. having a tremendous rookie year for the Jaguars, Hunter could be used to shore up the NFL’s worst pass defense.
Whatever team picks him will be subject to immediate questions about how they’ll deploy the all-world talent. Offense or defense… or both?
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NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein spoke with NFL coaches for their input, positing the results in a social media post.
“There is a current 3-1 count of NFL teams I’ve surveyed who have Hunter graded as a full-time cornerback who can take some snaps at WR,” he wrote.
The results, while only taken from four teams — and it’s also unclear if any of the teams surveyed own a top selection in the draft — present an idea that hasn’t been done effectively for an extended period of time in the NFL in quite some time. The last to pull off the feat was Hunter’s college head coach, Deion Sanders.
In 1996, while with the Dallas Cowboys, Sanders earned All-Pro honors on the defensive side of the ball as a cornerback. The Cowboys also had a package of plays designed for him on offense as a receiver; he finished with 36 catches for 476 yards and a touchdown across 16 games. The volume wasn’t huge, which Hunter expressed he believes he can manage at the next level.
But it may not be up to him. Whoever drafts Hunter will position him wherever they need him to be. Whether that’s at cornerback or wide receiver, or a mix of both, expect excellence from the Buffaloes’ all-world talent — he’s showcased that at every level, so why stop now?
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