The book on this College Football season is approaching its epilogue. The talent in the upper echelons of the sport is diverging into two factions. Those with a near-sighted focus on the CFP, and those already eyeing the NFL draft. Travis Hunter, begrudgingly, falls into the latter faction. Pertaining to the draft, the Heisman recipient is, conservatively, going to be a top 5 name off the board. That’s undeniable. However, one HOFer is convinced his college escapades cannot sustainably translate to the pros with linearity.

Similar to the athletes, football fans and stakeholders are also divided into categories, with some overlapping in between. Picture a Venn diagram of opinions on Travis Hunter. A minority believes he shall primarily be a receiver in the NFL who plays some snaps on defense.  A majority believes he’d be a lockdown corner used on in certain offensive packages and those in the middle are hoping this unicorn continues his unprecedented run of doing both with equal zest. Shannon Sharpe knows a little bit about the toll that playing a singular position in the NFL takes on you, let alone two. He believes Travis’ future lies as a cornerback who’ll be used at receiver situationally. 

“Unc” Shannon discussed Travis Hunter’s future in the pros on his show Nightcap, amid murmurs of Travis planning to present as a cornerback at the imminent Draft Combine. “He can play one full-time position, but he’ll play part time [in] another position. “How you gonna tell that man what he gonna do?’ Because I know the game. If you played the game, [you] understand how hard it is to play one position full game.  You’re not playing two positions every single snap. You’re just not. I’ll say they’ll have packages for him where he comes in and he does what he does.” said Shannon. This stance comes off the back of Travis’ Colorado HC and mentor Deion Sanders saying “Don’t draft [Travis] if you’re not gonna give him an opportunity to play on both sides of the ball.”

He remarked that his primary position should be cornerback, in line with what scouts seem to believe. Shannon also referred to Deion’s own 2-way play and how it was largely limited. “I’m not saying that [Travis] can’t do it. But the [two] greatest athletes I saw- I saw Bo Jackson, and I saw [Deion]…and I saw [Deion] at his apex. He played full time corner, and he had packages at wherever. I think that’s how they’re going to use Travis,” he said.

Shannon also stated a rather brushed over point of view in the discourse. “[Otherwise] I get diminishing returns. Because, okay, if you go, how you gonna give me 100% at CB and 100% at WR” 

Travis Hunter playing both sides will mean he has to divide time in practice. This in turn will make it difficult to be on the same page with his quarterback. Although it wasn’t apparent in college, this issue will get amplified at the next level. Also, franchises and coaches will themselves want to limit Travis for a different reason. If he’s WR1 and CB1, an injury would mean the team loses its best player in two positions. This means they’ll need depth in either position anyway, which will inadvertently also lead to Travis not playing every snap. The signs point to Travis Hunter being a corner if he was to exclusively play one position. However, there is a rationale for why certain factors may push him to be a receiver.

Why pursuing a career at wide receiver may entice Travis Hunter

Let’s not forget- Travis Hunter would be a Day 1 draft pick if he was purely a WR, too. He did win the Fred Biletnikoff award afterall, albeit this was met with contention. Wide receivers in this era of football are more quintessential than they’ve ever been. As the game ascends towards the air into a more pass-centric style, they’re a precious commodity. 

This means they’re paid relatively better, too. The receiver market has seen exponential growth in terms of the zeroes afforded to them. The top-earning receivers make nearly 50% more than the top corners. This could be a factor for Travis to focus on that side of the ball instead.

The general consensus is that Travis Hunter will forego that route and be a cornerback primarily. The demand for receivers rises the tide for those that cover them, too. Plus, finding an elite corner is perhaps more difficult than finding a receiver. Fans of the sport will hope he continues doing both in some capacity. Imagine what Travis Hunter could transpire into if 100% of his time in practice is spent on nurturing one area of expertise.