ESPN analyst says teams will view Travis Hunter as a cornerback in upcoming NFL Draft
Apr 2, 2025, 12:52 PM
Travis Hunter is without a doubt one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, if not the best overall prospect. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner can help whatever team that drafts him on both sides of the ball, and has some of the best hands in the country.
While he was an amazing wide receiver and cornerback in college with the Colorado Buffaloes, he likely won’t be able to play 100% of the snaps on both sides of the ball in the NFL as he did under Coach Prime. He should still be able to contribute on both sides of the ball, but teams looking to draft him are currently seeing him more as a cornerback than a wideout.
“I think teams will view him as a cornerback, but they also can play him at a wide receiver, and because he’s got all these skills, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to neglect one side of the football and feature him solely on the other,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Wednesday. “A player of this caliber is too good to be ignored. He’s already demonstrated the ability to play everywhere at all times.”
It’s shown time and time again in the NFL that receiver talent is easier to find in the draft than cornerback talent. Take the 2021 NFL Draft for example. The Broncos hit a home run with 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II, but the other four cornerbacks selected in that first round have not come close to what Surtain has become (Greg Newsome II has been solid for Cleveland, but not DPOY caliber).
Hunter has the best ball skills of any corner in this year’s draft, and has shown that he has certain traits on the defensive side of the ball that are just impossible to teach.
“His value as a cornerback would be high, you certainly could play him at wide receiver, but I think most teams seem to think of him more as a cornerback initially,” Schefter said.
On defense, Hunter had 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions for the Buffs in 2024. On offense, he had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 16 total touchdowns.
Him being viewed primarily as a corner is not a bad thing. That is the more difficult position to play, and if he can be successful at that, then the value he adds at receiver will only be a greater positive for whatever team selects him. In a recent mock draft published Wednesday morning, Hunter was projected to be selected third overall to the New England Patriots.
