Point-Counterpoint: Should Travis Hunter play one or two positions in the NFL

Thaddeus Sawyer, Campus Correspondent: Point

The term “generational prospect” is often thrown around during this time of the year. Every season, a handful of players emerge that are viewed as “can’t miss” prospects and earn this billing as generational. It has become so common every season that the term now falls flat for many. In the lead up to the 2017 NFL Draft, then Bleacher Report head Draft writer Matt Miller referred to Louisiana State University’s Leonard Fournette as “dynamic, generational talent at the running back position.” Selected fourth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, multiple disputes between team and player led to Fournette being released before the end of his rookie contract. Fournette would only reach the 1,000 rushing yard mark twice in his career and is now out of the league. Many players labeled as “generational” are merely solid NFL contributors.  

The issue with the overuse of the term comes when there is a player that is truly deserving of being viewed as “generational.” If you’re looking for a once in a generation player, look no further than the first player to ever be announced at two positions when drafted. Hunter has been a player of firsts throughout his career. Considered the number one recruit in the 2022 high school class, he made history before even playing a snap of college football. After decommitting from Florida State, he became the first five-star recruit to sign with either an HBCU or an FCS school after committing to Jackson State. He played one season at JSU before following head coach and football legend Deion Sanders to Colorado.  In 2024, not only did Hunter win the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football, but he became the first player ever to win both the Bednarik Award and the Biletnikoff Award. The Bednarik is given to the best defensive player in all of college football, while the Biletnikoff is awarded to college football’s best receiver. While winning any of these awards does not guarantee that college success will be transferrable to the NFL level, many evaluators agree that he has the potential to succeed at the next level. 

David Syvertsen, a scout for Ourlads, graded Hunter as the top overall player in the draft as a receiver. Syvertsen’s 91 grade projects Hunter as an All-Pro. Hunter’s 88 grade at cornerback also placed him as Syvertsen’s top rated defensive back. The corner grade would have left Hunter as the third best player in the class. The difference between the positions is that Hunter is more refined at the receiver position. The Jaguars have said that they will begin Hunter at receiver and slowly build him up as a corner to be ready to play both positions before the regular season begins. This approach will give the talented 21-year-old a chance to immediately form one of the best receiver tandems in the NFL with Brian Thomas Jr. while still giving him opportunities to refine his skills as at corner. The argument against the approach is that the NFL is at a different level than college football and that a player cannot realistically play 70 snaps both ways like Hunter did for Colorado. The best approach to combat this would be to pick one position for Hunter to focus on, and then to design packages allowing him to also see snaps on the opposite side of the ball. If he succeeds in this role and his snap count can slowly be increased, the sky is the limit for Hunter as a two-way player in the NFL. 

Connor Sargeant, Sports Editor: Counterpoint

As talented as Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is, and all he has accomplished in college football, it would be best, at least for the short-term, to focus on one position. For Hunter’s sake, he should focus on being the best wide receiver possible, and this would benefit Jacksonville more. Focusing on just being a wide receiver allows Hunter to make more of an impact on a Jaguars offense that ranked near the bottom of the league a season ago. Not only this but Hunter has an opportunity to become one of the best receivers in the league if he exclusively worked at that, considering how talented he already is at that position. 

Even if Hunter does play both positions, significant questions exist if he can handle both at the next level, as the NFL is much more physically demanding than the Big 12. Not only this but stacking so many snaps will likely negatively affect his overall performance, even if he is healthy. 

While the Jaguars drafted Hunter with the understanding that he would start at wide receiver then play both positions by the end of the year, the Heisman Trophy winner has another incentive to exclusively be a wide receiver.  

Financially speaking, wide receivers are taken care of much better than cornerbacks are in today’s NFL. While he may end up playing both positions in the end, Hunter runs the risk of compromising his play at wide receiver, due to inadequate preparation or being rundown from playing both sides. This means that Hunter would not get a big extension that players like CeeDee Lamb or Ja’Marr Chase have gotten. 

While media pundits and some in the league believe that Hunter can sustain a high level of play on both sides of the ball, it is not in his best interest to do so. There is a solid chance that if Hunter tires out physically, or plays poorly on one side of the ball, then he will play either receiver or corner permanently. While Hunter playing poorly or being run down may not happen, the odds of it are high, and he should not risk his health and future contract by playing a high number of snaps or being overwhelmed with both offensive and defensive playbooks.