Evaluating Colorado's Travis Hunter as both a WR and CB

What should we make of Colorado's two-way player?

Apr 27, 2024; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) warms up before a spring game event at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Evaluating Colorado's Travis Hunter as both a WR and CB

1. Breaking it down on the Daft on Draft Podcast
2. Background on the Colorado Football two-way player
3. What Hunter brings as a cornerback
4. Hunter's talent translating to the offensive side of the ball
5. Projecting Hunter as a 2025 NFL Draft prospect

There are fewer more polarizing 2025 NFL Draft prospects than Colorado Football's Travis Hunter.

And what makes him so polarizing is not only the program and head coach he plays for, but because of his ability to play on both sides of the football. Not only does he play both ways, but Hunter has proven to excel as both a wide receiver and a cornerback. So why not take the time to break down some tape and evaluate the fantastic junior and College Football 25 cover athlete as both a receiver and defensive back?

Here, we will put Hunter under the microscope and answer the questions: How does Hunter best project to the NFL, and just how high should he be drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Breaking it down on the Daft on Draft Podcast

Part of Minute Media's podcast network, the Daft on Draft podcast is hosted by yours truly and Dalton Miller. In our latest episode, we talked about this very topic. So if you would rather listen to a breakdown about Travis Hunter than read about it, tune in here! In addition to the YouTube channel below, you can find the Daft on Draft podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Background on the Colorado Football two-way player

Travis Hunter has always been a high-profile player. And it started when he was the top recruit in the nation out of high school and opted to spurn Florida State and other Power Five programs to join Deion Sanders at the HBCU level with Jackson State. Then after one year at Jackson Staet, Hunter followed Sanders to Boulder to join the Buffs.

Listed at 6-1 and 185 pounds, Hunter possesses excellent length to bring him an advantage on both sides of the ball. His thin frame has proven to be a one of his few weaknesses as both a receiver and a cornerback, but he makes up for it with his wits and top-shelf athleticism. And in his first season at the Power Five level, Hunter did not skip a beat.

During his sophomore campaign in 2023, Hunter racked up 721 yards receiving and five touchdowns on 57 catches. He played just nine games as well due to lacerating his liver in the win over Colorado State. Defensively, Hunter was a lockdown cornerback for the Colorado Football program, racking up five passes defended and three interceptions.

Now entering his junior season, Hunter will be looking for not only more of the same, but to take his game to the next level. So what makes Hunter so great? Let's turn on the tape.

Nov 17, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) celebrates a touchdown against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

What Hunter brings as a cornerback

What stands out the most from Travis Hunter's tape on the defensive side of the ball is the killer instincts and wit that he plays with. His innate ability to sniff out the football, even if that requires dropping off of his man and jumping another, peeling off to make a play, and more, Hunter just has a way of getting after the football.

Beyond just instincts, it's apparent that Hunter watches a ton of film. His ability to anticipate route concepts and opponent tendencies is second to none. His eyes and instincts in zone coverage are just tremendous.

this guy's stoopid good.

It's not human to trigger, then transition like that to make a play on that ball.

Zone instincts +++
WR ball skills +++

Through a half of a game it genuinely has felt like Travis Hunter was gifted UCLA's playbook. https://t.co/FHvR1fKN4V pic.twitter.com/wdgxH50tsX

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) July 9, 2024

The offensive skillset of Hunter translates to the defensive side of the ball quite well when he is in position to make a play on the football. If it is within his grasps, it's his. His second interception against UCLA is a spectacular example of not only his wits to fall off and make a play, but the ball skills to leap up and pluck the ball out of the air.

The Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter hype isn't overblown. He's a top-10 pick at CB.

Completely blown away by his anticipation of opponent tendencies. Routinely feels like he's in their huddle by how well he's jumping routes. pic.twitter.com/tg3PVttnjq

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) July 12, 2024

And we haven't even touched on his functional athleticism yet, which is off the charts as well. His transitional burst, the ability to get from 0-to-100 out of his backpedal when turning and running is jaw-dropping. It takes no time at all for Hunter to get open and get upfield. His trigger when changing directions downhill is just as good too!

Hunter plays with light, fast feet, well within his frame, and simply glides in between the lines. This helps him in press technique as well when playing up on the line of scrimmage. He can turn and run with anybody, but his feet stay patient and his hips stay square. He knows when to throw his hands but makes sure he is always leading with the feet.

Some areas for growth for Hunter on the defensive side of the ball start with his play strength. This might be a persistent issue for Hunter as he may just be a slim dude. Can he add weight and muscle without impacting his functional athleticism?

Secondly, while his eyes and instincts are such a draw to his game, the Stanford game is an example of them taking advantage of his willingness to jump routes and attempt to make plays on the football. However, if Hunter is creating turnovers, similar to Trevon Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys, any team will live with him occasionally getting his eyes caught up trying to make a play.

Overall, however, Hunter is a tremendous prospect when projecting him purely as a cornerback.

Oct 28, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the UCLA Bruins in the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Hunter's talent translating to the offensive side of the ball

I'm way more bullish on Travis Hunter as a cornerback than I am at wide receiver. It's easy to live without some of the level of physicality at cornerback if you are constantly in phase. It's harder to live with it at wide receiver.

And his lack of physicality tends to rear its head when he is getting upfield on routes as Hunter is not a hard man to knock off of his path and reroute. In most cases Hunter tries to dip around contact rather than work through it on the offensive side of the ball. This translates after the catch as well as Hunter is capable of making the first man miss, but is not going to break tackles with the ball in his hands.

This also impacts Hunter's game as he does not quite understand how to use his hands to get open and create another window. Whether it's wiping hands off the line of scrimmage to earn a clean release, or using subtle jabs at the top of routes to create a sliver of separation, Hunter lacks the savvy to use his hands to his advantage while working through his route.

Where that lack of physicality does not translate, however, is at the catchpoint. Even in traffic and around defenders, Hunter shows the tremendous ability to come away with the football. On 73 targets in 2023, Hunter did not drop a single football, winning over 60 percent of contested catch situations as well. He is a strong-handed receiver when looking to pluck the football out of the air.

His fluidity mentioned on the defensive side of the ball makes him an excellent route runner on the offensive side of the ball as well. There is no wasted movement in Hunter's releases off of the line of scrimmage, he sinks his hips with ease to get in and out of breaks, and shows a knack and understanding of leverage when stemming his routes vertically.

Playing defensive back helps him understand how to manipulate the hips of defensive backs off the line of scrimmage as well. Hunter has an excellent understanding of how to get defensive backs to open their hips earlier than they need to, and then to slip into blindspots he has just created to put himself two steps ahead of the man across from him.

Doesn't get the ball here, but I like Travis Hunter's ability to get off the line without any wasted movement, get the DB to open the gae, then work into the blindspiot he created. pic.twitter.com/vLTZPlVre9

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) August 6, 2024

When he sees zone coverage, Hunter just knows where and when to sit and give his quarterback a target. He has a nose for getting open, and as already mentioned, is a quarterback's best friend using his ability to consistently catch the football in every context.

Hunter can make a mark on the offensive side of the ball, and he'd still grade out high as purely a receiver. Just not as high as he'd grade out as purely a cornerback. If Hunter was graded as a receiver, I would feel comfortable putting a top-75 grade on him with top-50 upside. However, the lack of physicality to play through contact is the reason for pause.

Projecting Hunter as a 2025 NFL Draft prospect

On one side of the football, Hunter is an easy projection. As a cornerback, Hunter is rightly a top-10 player and an easy early first round pick. From his athletic dominance, to his instincts and smarts to inherently make plays on the football, to his polished technique in press man coverage, to his ball skills at the catchpoint to create turnovers, Hunter is an almost flawless prospect on the defensive side of the ball. Again, all he is truly lacking is an element of ball skills as he possesses a slender build.

That slender build tends to impact him much more on the offensive side of the ball. Hunter's inability to work through contact as a route runner leads to him being rerouted far too often. He has the elite ball skills that translate to the defensive side of the ball, he is a smart dude against zone coverage to find green grass and sit for his quarterback, and he did not drop a single pass a year ago. However, I'd project him as a late second rounder as purely a receiver.

But he's not purely a receiver.

While he could still find a minimal role on the offensive side of the ball at the NFL level, he is going to make his money and his impact backpedaling. And with another season like he had a year ago, it's going to make him a lot of money and lead to a short wait on draft night.

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