Normally when I sit down to watch a prospect, I wind up fast-forwarding through half the game because the player isn’t on the field. That is not the case with Colorado athlete Travis Hunter.
Hunter plays both cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes, and he does both at a high enough level to consider him a high draft pick at either position. Head coach Deion Sanders has not given a lean one way or the other on where Hunter will be more heavily utilized, and Hunter himself hasn’t publicly declared if he prefers to be a wideout or corner prospect.
That’s important in the evaluation process, because it forces the evaluation to focus more on the general athletic ability than technical skills. And Hunter certainly has a tremendous amount of athletic ability no matter where he lines up on the field.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has instant acceleration and almost unreal lateral agility and flexibility on the move. He can cut hard at full speed and not lose much momentum. Hunter’s top speed and “chase gear” are both elite and he understands how to use each on both sides of the ball.
While I definitely see a potential high pick at wide receiver, my initial impression is that Hunter is a better prospect at cornerback. His innate ability to bait quarterbacks and make plays on the ball in the air is rare. It does bring to mind his Colorado head coach in his Prime as the best playmaking corner of his era.
Hunter uses his length and fluidity very well to match up against outside wide receivers. While he’s not that physical in coverage, he can effectively steer and disrupt with his quick reactions and length on the outside. There might not be a better corner in the country at reacting to and jumping comeback routes and double moves on shorter routes. The way in which Hunter controls his twitchiness is special.
He’s also a good tackler. A lot of times, speedy cornerbacks have a tendency to overrun the point of attack. That rarely happens with Hunter, who can break down and control his approach. He does tend to get a little tall in run defense.
Right now, I would consider Hunter more of an athletic project at wide receiver. Don’t mistake that for lacking skill or talent; his speed, body control and playmaking panache shine on offense, too. However, it’s easier to find other players who can offer what Hunter does on offense than what he brings at cornerback.
NFL teams typically eschew playing guys on both sides of the ball, but Hunter might make an exception. It’s easy to envision Hunter being a starting outside corner and also getting 10-15 snaps a game as a No. 3 WR or speed package player. He sure looks like a player who will be considered in the top 10 in the 2025 NFL Draft if he remains healthy and continues to progress his technical skills, especially at CB.