NFL Scouts Leaning CB For Colorado’s Travis Hunter

The 2024 college football season was one full of novelty, highlighted by the Heisman Trophy being awarded to a non-quarterback for the first time since 2020 (Devonta Smith) and a player who played significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball for the first time since 1997 (Charles Woodson). Colorado prospect Travis Hunter exudes novelty as a player who played nearly equal time on both offense and defense, leading NFL scouts to debate which side of the ball he’ll play on in the NFL.

Hunter’s playing on both sides was not just a novelty, though; it was a dominant display of versatility. He played 709 snaps on offense, grading out as the team’s second-best player on that side of the ball, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), behind only presumed top draft pick quarterback Shedeur Sanders. His 85.3 PFF grade on offense graded out as the eighth-best score for a receiver in the NCAA this year. That wasn’t his best side of the ball, though. With 713 snaps on defense, Hunter graded out as the Buffaloes’ best defensive player by a good amount and also graded as the nation’s second-best cornerback.

He leaves college football as the first player in college football history to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation’s best defensive player and the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best wide receiver. Those, along with the Heisman, are just three of several awards crowding Hunter’s shelf from the 2024 season.

The NFL will be a different story for Hunter. In Boulder, coaches knew that, because of the heightened load of playing on both offense and defense on Saturdays, Hunter needed a lightened load in practice during the week. It was also impossible for Hunter to attend both offensive and defensive meetings (as well as broken-down meetings with individual position groups) simultaneously, so he had to budget his time between meetings.

Once he’s in the NFL, that won’t fly. The jump from college to professional football often presents a giant learning curve for rookies. Hunter will most likely have his plate full getting up to speed in practices and meetings for one position, let alone both. So, the question arises: which side will be the focus for Hunter in the NFL? In order to make that decision, scouts must confront another question: on which side of the ball does Hunter have the greatest chance to be a top-shelf player and add the most value to his team?

The resounding answer from scouts, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, has been cornerback. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports spoke with 13 NFL general managers who agreed with Breer’s scouts, as 12 GMs claimed their preference was on defense. While it’s been a long time, this situation isn’t totally without precedent. Woodson, Champ Bailey, and Chris Gamble were all full-time, two-way players in college (Woodson less so), and all three became defensive backs at the next level.

Both scouts and GMs asserted that, though his primary position should be cornerback, they would certainly find packages in which to utilize his elite ball skills on offense. Likely this would be in third down and passing down situations. They could also utilize his playmaking ability on special teams in the return game, as well. A true shutdown cornerback can be harder to find and can be more impactful than a top receiver, though, so defense will likely be the early focus as Hunter adjusts to the NFL-level of play.

Now, with those questions answered, the next question of his draft stock arises. While viewed as an elite player at both positions in college, he’s likely not viewed as the top draft prospect at either position, per Breer. Players like Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson have been trending ahead of Hunter at both positions in early draft board rankings.

What will this mean for Hunter’s draft stock? Does his potential to impact both sides of the ball raise his value as a draft prospect? Or do teams in need of a wide receiver or cornerback target players like McMillan or Johnson before Hunter? The Colorado athlete is likely guaranteed to hear his name on the first night of the draft, but the answers to the above questions will determine where exactly he falls in the first round and just how much money he’ll get on his rookie contract as a result.