Travis Hunter has stated he wants to play on both sides of the ball in the NFL, and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman backs that claim if he plays for the right team.
Keon Coleman Backs Travis Hunter to be a 2-Way NFL Star
The Bills rookie WR was on “7pm in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony” and backed up Hunter’s claims of being able to play on offense and defense in the NFL. Coleman had a solid rookie campaign, finishing with 556 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 13 games having missed some time through injury.
When asked about Hunter, Coleman said “I’m glad I’m not making that decision. I think you might as well do it, that is what his motto has been you might as well let him try it out.” The Colorado Buffaloes star finished the 2024 season with 1258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, whilst defensively making 35 total tackles, four interceptions and forcing a fumble.
Coleman did, however, say that it has to be the right team for Hunter. “If he is with an franchise that is winning then no they won’t play that but if you are rebuilding you might as well see what he can do. He is capable of it he has shown it.”
It will likely be the latter with Hunter expected to go in the first five picks of the NFL Draft, unless we see someone trade really far up just to take his talents. Teams likely won’t have him on every play they will very much scheme up on both sides of the ball to have him guarding top receivers one moment then be sent on a go route the next.
The Heisman Trophy winner was also praised by Anthony who called him “a game-changer and that he is so talented on both sides of the ball you have to utilize that talent and allow him to do that. Why take that away from him?”
Everyone on the show also felt that fans of the team that drafted him would want to see him play both sides of the ball and would want to see the best of him.
Monica McNutt felt that “it is a lot to try and tackle in your first season. Keon said NFL teams can help with the jump, those teams with the first picks in the draft are the ones that do that?”
That is the big question over who will draft him and whether they are willing to strategize around him playing both sides of the ball. It is more than possible for him to do both but as McNutt says “he needs organisational faith which is fine, but there is a line where it becomes a spectacle and that is not productive.”
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Hunter was one of the reasons why Colorado was good in 2024 because they could rely on him being impactful on offense and get a stop on defense when they needed it.
The top five teams in the draft could all use Hunter, and it wouldn’t be a surprise where he goes. It is just a case of whether he is allowed to do it on both sides of the ball. Most teams will likely let him do it at first and scheme around it, but later in his career, there may be a decision he has to make.
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