Programming note: Tune in for live coverage of Path to the Draft: Colorado Showcase on Friday, April 4 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network and NFL+.
"I tell them I'm just different."
Travis Hunter knows that there isn't another prospect like him in the 2025 NFL Draft -- nor has there been throughout recent NFL history.
Colorado's Heisman Trophy Winner made waves as a two-way star, playing full-time snaps at both CB and WR. Hunter has said he wants to continue to play "100 percent" on both sides of the ball next season, a feat not accomplished regularly in the NFL since the 1960s.
Only three NFL players have started at WR and CB in the same game since 1980: Antonio Cromartie (2012), Champ Bailey (2000) and Deion Sanders (1996). The only player to do so multiple times was Sanders, Hunter's head coach at both Colorado and Jackson State. Regardless of position, just three players have played 10+ snaps of both offense and defense in the same game since 2012, per NFL Research.
Hunter is in rarefied air as Bailey and Sanders are Pro Football Hall of Famers. Most unprecedented, however, is the extent to which Hunter plays offense and defense.
Over two seasons at Colorado, Hunter averaged an FBS-high 111.5 snaps per game. For context, no other college player has averaged more than 78 snaps per game since at least 2015. Cromartie, in his lone 2012 two-way showing, played just three snaps on offense, per NFL Research.
Hunter is no stranger to making history. The No. 1 recruit nationally in the 2022 high school class, Hunter was the first five-star recruit to sign with an FCS program (Jackson State) in 20 years and the highest-rated recruit to commit to an HBCU. After one season in Jackson, Hunter followed Deion Sanders -- and his son, Shedeur -- to Colorado, bringing Boulder's Buffaloes back to college football relevance.
Hunter truly shined in 2024. He won both the Biletnikoff Award (best WR) and Bednarik Award (best defender) while racking up 15 receiving TDs, four INTs and an appearance on the cover of "EA Sports College Football 25." The last NFL player with 15+ receiving TDs and 4+ INTs in a season was Hall of Famer Don Hutson in 1942.
Hunter's final collegiate career stat line (30 games, 27 starts):
- CB: 85 tackles, 9 INTs, 26 PBUs, 1 forced fumble
- WR: 171 receptions, 2,167 yards, 24 receiving TDs
So, what skillset, specifically, does Hunter bring to the NFL? Below is a full scouting report (courtesy of NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein).
Strengths
- Cornerback play was noticeably improved in 2024.
- Defensive playmaker with rare range.
- Plays with the expected level of route recognition.
- Smothers comebacks and crossing routes.
- Combines elite ball skills with impressive instincts.
- Willing and able to race and overlap coverage areas.
- Bursts into throw lanes and times up ball challenges.
- Has catch radius and vertical leap to dominate on jump balls.
- Fast but changes tempos when he needs to as a receiver.
- Gets in and out of breaks with consistent tempo.
- Works back to throws and scrambles open when needed.
- Earns top catch positioning and wins with focus and catch strength.
- Grabs it with sudden hands and good extension inside or outside the frame.
- Speed to make house calls when he's in the open field
Weaknesses
- Long legs cause slower hip flips to run with vertical routes.
- Needs to stay lower and better balanced in his backpedal.
- Rarely challenged by NFL-caliber receiving talent in 2024.
- Must prove he can compete against higher weight classes.
- Committed blocks stick to him on the perimeter.
- As a receiver, has snaps where he gets mauled by press coverage.
- Cruise control routes won't tilt or fool NFL cornerbacks.
- High-flying playing style leads to heavy contact.
- Average toughness with his run after the catch.
How Hunter projects in the NFL
While Hunter's ambition drives him to play full-time on both sides, Patriots exec Elliot Wolf said at the NFL Scouting Combine it would make sense for the rookie to “major” and “minor” in his respective positions.
Teams differ on what that could look like.
Browns GM Andrew Berry has said he projects Hunter as a WR first, while Titans HC Brian Callahan has said he views Hunter as a starting CB with the ability to "inject" in on offense.
Next Gen Stats gave Hunter a prospect score of 92, making him one of just four prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft to grade higher than a 90 (elite/blue-chip tier).
Here is how several NFL.com analysts have forecasted Hunter's future -- from draft position to pro comparisons. Watch NFL Pro’s All-22 footage of each comparison via NFL+ Premium below.
Daniel Jeremiah
- Latest mock: No. 4 overall (Patriots)
- CB: Darius Slay
- WR: Garrett Wilson
Lance Zierlein
- Latest mock: No. 3 overall (Giants)
- CB: Darius Slay
- WR: DeVonta Smith
Charles Davis
- Latest mock: No. 4 overall (Patriots)
- CB: Stephon Gilmore
- WR: Stefon Diggs
Check out these additional resources to dive deeper into Hunter's game:
- Watch Daniel Jeremiah's film analysis of Hunter on NFL+. Jeremiah ranked Hunter as the No. 2 overall prospect in his latest Top 50 hierarchy of the 2025 NFL draft class.
