The NFL Blueprint for Travis Hunter is not Deion Sanders
Travis Hunter very well may be the single most exciting player in the world of football today. His phenomenal ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback simultaneously, at an elite level for both positions, made him a unicorn in modern-day football, dazzling everyone around him at the University of Colorado and around the college football world. His Herculean efforts saw him take home the coveted Heisman Trophy, the first defensive player since Charles Woodson in 1997 to do so. When the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him second overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the question on everyone’s mind was “Will he play both ways in the NFL?”
The answer, even though the season hasn’t started yet, seems to be in the affirmative. New Jags head coach Liam Coen has publicly stated that they will be using the CU alumnus on both sides of the ball. However, the powers that be in Jacksonville have also stated that Hunter will be an offensive player first and a defensive player second. Plans can always change between now and the start of the 2025 NFL season in September, but the current plan is that Travis Hunter will be a WR/CB, not a CB/WR.
Considering that when Travis Hunter’s name is brought up, Deion Sanders is often mentioned immediately afterward, this plan might seem a little strange. Sanders famously coached Hunter during his time in Boulder, and his history of two-way play in the NFL has been constantly held up as a hopeful, if not probable, blueprint for Hunter’s pro future. What should be noted about Sanders’ time in the NFL is that he spent the vast majority of that time as a defensive player. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 and racked up seven First and Second-Team All-Pro selections across his illustrious career, all of which were for his efforts as a cornerback or returner. However, as an offensive player, Sanders was used sparingly, except in his 1996 season with the Dallas Cowboys. Looking back, Sanders scored more touchdowns as either a defender or returner than he did as an offensive weapon. While Sanders played in all three phases of football concurrently, his legacy on defense and special teams far outweighs his efforts on offense. If Sanders was a defender who played offense, doesn’t it feel like an imperfect comparison to hold up to Hunter’s planned role as an offensive weapon who plays defense?
In truth, Hunter’s path in the NFL might bear a resemblance to that of Patriots legend Troy Brown. Brown spent 15 years with New England, from 1993 to 2007, primarily as a wide receiver and returner. His peak as an offensive weapon came in 2001, as he racked up just under 1,200 yards receiving and earned Pro Bowl honors. However, the 2004 season saw him become a dual-threat player in the vein of Sanders and Hunter. The Pats switched the at-the-time 33-year-old Brown to cornerback, following a series of injuries that depleted their defensive back corps, while still playing him solidly at wide receiver. By the end of the season, Brown was a Super Bowl champion, tied for second on the team in interceptions with three, while also snagging 17 receptions and a receiving TD on the offensive front. To put that in perspective, with Sanders, Brown’s 17 receptions while playing CB in 2004 equal almost a third of Sanders’ total receptions across his entire career.
There is also an off-the-field reason to buy into the concept of Travis Hunter giving the wide receiver position primacy: money. The top money contracts for elite CBs in the league right now, like Denzel Ward, Jaycee Horn, Derek Stingley Jr., and Patrick Surtain II, range in total value from $90-$100 million. Meanwhile, contracts for top WRs look like $161 million for Ja'Marr Chase, $140 million for Justin Jefferson, or $136 million for CeeDee Lamb. If Hunter is looking to maximize the financial value of his career, there are tens of millions of reasons why he should be seen as a top receiver, rather than a top cornerback.
All of this is just hopeful speculation for now, of course. It remains to be seen if Travis Hunter can establish himself as the number one weapon for Trevor Lawrence, the centerpiece of Duval’s defense, both, or neither. However, his electric collegiate career rightfully places hopes and expectations that he’ll be a franchise legend like Brown, or even a sport-defining Hall of Famer like Sanders. If all goes well for the reigning Heisman winner, he won’t be the second Deion Sanders or the next Troy Brown; he’ll be the very first Travis Hunter.
