Travis Hunter is an Elite Athlete

Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter.

One word.

Wow

This playmaker is listed at two positions because he plays Iron Man football. Despite missing three games in 2023 due to a lacerated kidney suffered on Sept. 16 against Colorado State, he had the second-most snaps in the FBS (1,044).

Hunter played 452 snaps on offense at wide receiver and 592 on defense at cornerback.

That got everyone’s attention.

Wide receiver

Hunter wasn’t just put in at wide receiver as some sort of gimmick, he’s a big-time prospect at the position.

Yes, he has explosive short-area speed and rare athletic ability, but it’s more than that.

He has good hands and ball instincts to go get the ball when it’s in the air. He is also extremely competitive.

How competitive?

Hunter battles for contested passes, he fights for yardage after the catch, and it’s common to see him unselfishly make a block for a teammate.

2023

• 57 receptions (77 targets for a catch rate of 74%)
• 721 yards (12.6 avg.)
• Five touchdowns
• Long of 47 yards

Cornerback

Hunter brings a physical edge to the defense when crossing over the line of scrimmage, and yes, he makes plays solely based on his rare physical traits.

2023

• Five passes broken up
• Three interceptions

However, some concerns do show up on the game film at the position due to him lacking upper-echelon cornerback technique (like the time he gave up inside leverage on a deep vertical route against Arizona).

Hunter can:

• Be too slow to react in space
• Provide too much cushion and get beat
• Grab jersey on a deep pass attempt after giving up a step

Pick one

After studying every snap Hunter took at both positions this past season, I like him better as a receiver than at cornerback based on his 2023 film.

He looks more natural at it and he looks fresher playing offense.

The thing that struck me ⎯even though he’s playing both offense and defense, he looked gassed on defense sometimes and I believe that played a role when he got beat.

Hunter needs to pick offense or defense in 2024.

Playing both positions is keeping him from having a chance to become great at one or the other.

#12 Travis Hunter 6-foot-1, 185 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Summer Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 94.8% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of August 7, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 full games evaluated (showing offense and defense): Colorado State, Stanford, UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona, Utah, and Washington State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2023 game film evaluated specifically as a wide receiver: TCU and Nebraska/specifically as a cornerback: TCU and Nebraska

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Receiver: Lines up outside or inside at the slot. Legit target short, intermediate, and deep. Smooth and fluid-looking acceleration. Long arms. Knows how to quickly win route leverage and how to get open. Instinctive. Can snap off crisp route breakpoints. Creates throwing windows. Impressive adjustments to the ball. Needs to fine-tune some of the small details of the position. Can look out of place at times. Sometimes looks like a defensive back trying to play or catch the ball. Drops some he shouldn’t. Doesn’t run routes hard sometimes.

Cornerback: Featured in press man. Relies on natural gifting and physicality to excel in press-man. Excels mirroring and shadowing in close quarters. Sticky. Can hold his own when receivers push into him. Showed second gear. Good long-distance vertical speed to stay in phase, but he’s not a burner. Capable of reading the quarterback and jumping passes in off-man, but more space tends to expose him. Can look lost in zone coverage at times. Lacks natural read and feel for where receivers are going when more space exists. Takes him an extra second to figure it out. Gave up too many catches for my tastes (rough games: Stanford and Arizona). Inconsistent support.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season?

1. Does he pick offense or defense?

2. Stays healthy?

3. Consistent effort?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.