INDIANAPOLIS — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter stated Thursday it’s “tremendous necessary” to him to be the No. 1 choose in April’s NFL draft and that he’s prepared, keen and uniquely in a position to play on either side of the ball in his skilled profession.
Merely labeled as “DB 15” on the NFL scouting mix this week, the College of Colorado cornerback/vast receiver stated the potential of being the primary general choose has actually crossed his thoughts.
“That is tremendous necessary,” Hunter stated. “That was certainly one of my goals, to go No. 1.”
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Hunter was a must-see performer as faculty soccer’s most outstanding and proficient two-way participant in a long time, particularly this previous season when he gained faculty soccer’s highest particular person honor. On offense, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns.
And on protection, he had 33 tackles, 4 interceptions, 10 move breakups and a compelled fumble. In Colorado’s regular-season finale towards Oklahoma State, Hunter grew to become the one FBS participant over the previous 25 seasons with three scrimmage touchdowns and a defensive INT in a single recreation, per ESPN Analysis.
Hunter performed 1,380 snaps general in 12 video games for Colorado this previous season, together with 670 on offense, 686 on protection and 24 on particular groups. It was 382 extra snaps than the next-most energetic participant within the FBS and he topped 100 snaps in 10 of Colorado’s 12 video games.
Hunter additionally performed 1,007 snaps for Colorado within the 2023 season. He stated Thursday he was hopeful whichever crew calls his title on the draft’s opening evening will enable him the possibility to play on either side of the ball.
“I have been doing it for a very long time, so I really feel like I can preserve doing it,” Hunter stated. ” … That is not my job to determine it out. I might wish to play each. If they offer me the chance to play either side of the ball, I will play either side.”
Hunter, who has been grouped with the defensive backs on the mix for conferences, medical exams and crew interviews, contended he’s nonetheless “listed at each” defensive again and vast receiver in Indianapolis. He additionally stated some groups have already interviewed him on the mix as primarily a large receiver and a few groups have interviewed him primarily as a cornerback.
“No person has performed it, however I really feel like I put my physique via quite a bit,” Hunter stated. “Individuals do not get to see that half, what I do to my physique to verify I am 100% for every recreation … however I do know I might do it … as a result of I’ve performed it on the faculty degree.”
Requested if he would push again if his future coaches within the NFL stated he might play solely offense or protection completely, Hunter added: “I might hope they might let me go on the market and earn the opposite place.”
Many within the league have stated the most important concern for Hunter within the NFL in any try to play extensively on either side of the ball can be managing his snap depend in video games in addition to structuring observe time, and the wear and tear and tear that comes with that in a 17-game season, in addition to his schedule given offensive and defensive place teams meet individually throughout the identical time intervals in a day.
The league’s Defensive Participant of the Yr — Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II — performed 902 snaps in 16 video games this previous season after logging 1,106 snaps (17 video games) in 2022 and 1,121 (17 video games) in 2023. These totals aren’t removed from the whole snaps Hunter performed in all phases in 2024.
Hunter stated he has instructed groups he has a routine he follows in his preparation for video games and in his restoration to proceed to play offense and protection within the NFL.
“They are saying no one has performed it for actual the way in which I do it,” Hunter stated. “I inform [teams] I am simply completely different. … I did not don’t have any load administration at Colorado, coach [Deion Sanders] would just about let me do what I felt was proper for my physique. I am the one person who is aware of what’s proper for my physique. … I all the time awoke early to get to do what I wanted to do.”
Hunter added Thursday he had not spoken a lot to Sanders, who was additionally Hunter’s coach at Jackson State, in current weeks as a result of “he is been giving me my house and letting me undergo these things on my own.”
Hunter has known as his relationship with Sanders an “unbreakable father-son bond.”
