INDIANAPOLIS – Travis Hunter is undeniably confident, and he’s not shy about showing it.
“Everybody knows I can light up a room just by walking in,” the Heisman Trophy winner told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday. “I always have a smile on my face. I bring the excitement and I’m a great communicator.”
And it’s this confidence that drives Hunter to believe he can do something no other NFL player currently does, or has done in modern history:
Play every snap on both offense and defense.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I feel like I can keep doing it,” Hunter said.
In an environment where draft prospects often play it safe with their answers, Hunter’s statement stands out. He’s bringing a bold vision and goal—one that no one else in recent memory has proposed—and he’s doing so with unwavering determination.
“I’m going to play both,” Hunter stated.
Some Players Have Played Both Ways, But Not Like This
It’s worth noting that his coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders, played both receiver and cornerback in the NFL, though his time as a receiver was limited.
Other players, like J.J. Watt, Mike Vrabel, Julian Edelman, and Troy Brown, have occasionally played on both sides of the ball, but only for a handful of plays per game. William “Refrigerator” Perry also played limited offensive snaps for the Chicago Bears.
Hunter, however, is talking about playing every snap on both offense and defense—every single one.
How does he plan to do this?
“That’s not my job to figure out,” he said. “I like to play both sides of the ball. If they give me the opportunity to play both sides, I’m going to play both.”
He continued, “Nobody’s done it, but I feel like I put my body through a lot. I do a lot of treatment. People don’t see that part, but I make sure I’m 100% each game. I did it in college, and the game there doesn’t have as many breaks. In the NFL, there are more breaks, and I think I can handle it.”
Teams Focused on One Position for Hunter
Hunter shared that he met with teams at the Combine who are interested in him strictly as a wide receiver, while others are focused on him as a defensive back.
“It’s still up in the air,” Hunter said.
When teams say, “nobody’s ever done it the way I want to,” Hunter responds, “I’m just different. I’m a different person.”
This will be an intriguing situation to watch. It’s likely that Hunter will be selected within the top 5 picks in the draft, after which he’ll probably be asked to focus on one position as a rookie. However, once coaches are comfortable with his development, there’s a chance they could begin experimenting with him on both sides of the ball.
If everything falls into place, Hunter could eventually become a full-time two-way player—just as he believes he can. As he said, it’s not his job to figure out the details.
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