Wide receiver, cornerback ... or both? NFL draft scouts weigh in on Travis Hunter's best fit in the NFL
With two-way ability and elite traits, Hunter could be a top-10 pick in next year's NFL draft. But which position will he play in the pros?
Gotta love the words NFL brass use to describe him. “Electric, explosive, smooth”.
He projects as a No.2 WR to get up to speed. Only complaint by GMs is that they don’t run an NFL style option.
"So much of what they do is just him and Shedeur playing backyard football," an NFC college scouting director said. "It's 'go get open and I'll throw it to you' instead of a nuanced offense."
This same thing is why scouts worry SS can be an NFL starter. For Hunter it just means he has to learn and they all think he will quickly.
"What stands out most to me is his penchant for being in the right place at the right time. He's tough as hell, he's incredibly fast, but his instincts as a playmaker are a blue-chip trait," another AFC general manager said.
On TH at CB:
With loose hips and great movement traits, Hunter can open, turn and run with receivers. He seemingly has a sixth sense for knowing where the ball is in the air, and his body control and hand-eye coordination help him make plays on it. He has five interceptions and 10 pass breakups over his Colorado career.
"He's like a center fielder out there when he sees it in the air," a West Coast area scout for an AFC team said.
"If you watch him, all of the catches he's given up come underneath because you're not beating him deep," an NFC assistant general manager said. "Now imagine his ceiling once he really focuses on and sharpens the detail of actually playing the position and not just [playing] off of his natural ability."
There are things he needs to work on in coverage, though. As the assistant GM suggested, Hunter still relies heavily on his physical traits and speed on the perimeter, which can hurt him when attempting to stay attached in man coverage. His technique must improve at the next level -- playing that way will get him into trouble against NFL-caliber receivers. We're already seeing evasive and physical route runners presenting problems for him. He has allowed a 58.8% completion percentage as the primary defender on passes thrown into his coverage this season.
"Hunter's just too grabby at times right now because he's playing strictly off of his natural ability," an AFC area scout said. "When he guesses wrong, his first instinct is to grab ahold of his matchup, which will draw flags on the next level."
Going to be fun to watch this kid on Sunday’s. He will have some monster games at WR
