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Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he seeks to play on both sides of the ball during his professional career. While that is an ambitious aspiration, it is one that Hunter could be uniquely tooled to fulfill after he displayed uncanny ability during his two-year Colorado career. Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce endorsed Hunter's goal of playing both wide receiver and cornerback, but he pushed back on the idea that the former No. 1 overall recruit should be on the field for every snap.
"I think he's proven that he needs to play on both sides of the ball," Kelce said on the most recent episode of the "New Heights" podcast*.* "I think it's easier for him to be on the field all the time as a defensive player, and then offensively coming in on certain plays. I think that is so much easier. What's the point in certain run downs where you know it's run to have him on the field going in there scooping out a safety? Could he do it? Yeah. Could I get another guy to do that? Probably."
Hunter took snap counts to new heights during his Buffaloes career and regularly played every down as a star at both of his positions. Doing that at the professional level, though, is an even taller task. He played 2,625 snaps across two years at Colorado despite missing nearly five games due to injury and led the FBS in total snaps played during both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Hunter carried defensive back designation into the combine but held meetings with franchises as both a receiver and cornerback. Regardless of his usage, he projects as an early first-round selection and perhaps the first overall player off the board at next month's draft.
"In the NFL, they'll have to scheme up around him getting too exhausted," Kelce said. "They really have to weigh that into their play-calling, both offensively and defensively. Like, defense, you can't just go man and expect Travis to just run all around the field with a guy like Tyreek Hill. As an offensive coordinator, I'm sending him on a go every play, and eventually, if you're playing offense and defense, the wheels are going to get at least a little worn out."
Hunter ranked top-10 nationally in catches (96), receiving yards (1,258) and touchdowns (15) during his final year of college football, and on the other side of the ball, he racked up a team-high four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
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"Good luck, Travis," said Kelce. "I'm a big fan, brother. You wanna come to K.C. and play both sides? We have like the 40th pick. We'll probably not even sniff him."