In a draft year that doesn’t have a lot of standout quarterbacks, Colorado’s Travis Hunter is fast surfacing as a possible consensus #1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. But making Hunter the first overall pick comes with some unique risks that will force is team to make some very tricky decisions.
Specifically, the primary question is about whether Hunter should be an extensive two-way player as a pro. The NFL does have a small number of two-way guys, but they don't come with Hunter's unique talent as an elite athlete who can dominate on both sides of the ball. And that means they're less expensive, which is an important part of the Hunter equation.
Travis Hunter has the potential to be a game changer
It's fairly easy to track Travis Hunter’s career path by viewing his stats. He started his Colorado experience as a cornerback, but once Deion Sanders arrived to coach the Buffaloes in 2022, Hunter quickly began his journey to the other side of the ball.
After posting four TDs to go with 18 receptions in his first year under Sanders, Hunter ramped up his production with a vengeance. He caught 57 passes in 2023, and this year he has 92 catches, 14 of them for touchdowns. Hunter’s short-term goal is to put himself in position to win the Heisman, and given the lack of quarterback talent this year, he’s got a solid chance to do it.
Hunter’s long-term goal is very different
For better or worse, though, Travis Hunter probably considers the Heisman a gaudy bauble that comes with value mostly as a negotiating tool. His real goal is to position himself at the top of the draft as a two-way threat, which would increase his value to whichever team decides to bet on Hunter’s talent.
It’s not hard to tell who’s running the show behind the scenes, either. Deion Sanders is using his role as “Coach Prime” to play puppet master here, and if there’s anyone who has experience with branching it after starting on the defensive side of the ball it’s Sanders. His two-way journey included a landmark sports switch that included MLB stints with the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.
Deion Sanders’ plan for Travis Hunter is a double-edge sword
As impressive as Travis Hunter’s season has been, the idea of making him a two-way player taking extended reps on both sides of the ball poses a huge risk for the team that drafts him. The current wisdom in the NFL says that two-way guys should specialize on one side the ball to maximize their potential, and it's hard to get teams to change and move off that perspective.
But Hunter is out to challenge conventional wisdom. He doubtless wants the kind of money that would come with being both a top receiver and a shutdown corner, but NFL teams will see that as a huge financial risk. They’ll likely want him to follow the traditional path, and no one knows how this will play out when this conflict comes calling after the draft.
Count on one thing, though: Deion Sanders influence will be both omnipresent and powerful. It will be designed in part to enhance his rep as “Coach Prime” and keep him in the limelight, which is always a primary goal for the guy who was known as “Neon Deion” when he first came into the league.
The cautionary note here for Travis Hunter is that he shouldn't be blinded by the light. It's important for him to remember that the NFL game is far more brutal and violent, and it comes with a 17-game schedule, too. Hunter might be able to pull off the two-way possibility for a year or two, but if he wants a long career, he should have a plan in place to pick a lane and eventually work exclusively on one side of the ball.