INDIANAPOLIS — There are no two ways about it. Travis Hunter wants to play offense and defense.
But as he stepped up to the podium for his news conference Thursday before the largest throng for any player at the NFL combine, Hunter acknowledged that it will no longer be his choice.
“I hope they let me go out and learn the other position, but it’s up to them, not me,” Hunter said. “I want to be 100 percent (on both sides), but it’s up the organization.”
Hunter won the Heisman Trophy at CU by becoming a unicorn. He played 1,483 snaps last season (714 on offense, 748 on defense), working as a starter at cornerback and receiver, something only coach Deion Sanders envisioned for him coming out of high school. He is listed as a top-three prospect entering the draft because most talent evaluators believe he ranks in the top five to top 10 at both positions.
But how would he manage the position meetings and the workload at the next level? Hunter explained that he could follow his college blueprint of studying on his own and meeting with coaches when everyone had gone home. He typically spent more time practicing with the defense.
Still, it is a longer season with much better players. Hunter remains convinced he could pull it off despite his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame.
“Nobody has done it. But I feel like I put my body through a lot. I do a lot of treatment. People don’t see that part on what I do for my body to make sure I am 100 percent for each game. It doesn’t happen much where I get (exhausted) because of the way I get ready,” Hunter said. “I know I can do it because I did it at the college level and we rarely get breaks and there is a lot more breaks in the league. … I am a diehard for football. I love to compete. I would like to play both. If they give me the opportunity I am going to play both sides of the ball.”
Headlines followed last week when he was listed as a defensive back for the combine. Hunter said he is listed as both. He said he has had good conversations with teams, but declined to reveal who he has met with this week.
Hunter continues to dream big, seeing himself as a two-way player and the first overall pick currently held by the Tennessee Titans.
“It’s super important,” Hunter said. “It’s one of my dreams to go No. 1 and be the best I can be.”
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