INDIANAPOLIS — There was so much talk around and from Travis Hunter about an exciting and unique storyline that is fun to consider yet unlikely to happen.
“I want to play both,’’ Hunter said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “That’s not my job to figure it out. I like to play both sides of the ball. If they give me the opportunity to play both sides of the ball, I’ll play both sides.’’
Hunter believes he can play cornerback and wide receiver at the next level.
It just so happens, the Giants own the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, and finding a No. 1 cornerback ranks second to finding a starting quarterback on their needs list.
They also want to add a No. 2 receiver to pair with Malik Nabers, last season’s rookie sensation. There is certainly a chance Hunter is on the board when it comes time for the Giants to make their selection.
It is the job of whoever selects Hunter way up high to determine if Hunter is a cornerback or a wide receiver. He was fantastic at both of those positions at Colorado. He is the top-rated cornerback in this year’s draft class and also rated as the No. 1 receiver. He sees no reason to give up on either of those roles.
This past season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Hunter averaged 118 snaps per game — a total of 709 snaps on offense and 713 on defense.
He was on the field for 149 snaps against Stanford and 137 snaps against Baylor.
He said he had no load management protocols at Colorado, and that the coaching staff and training staff “pretty much let me do what I felt was right for my body. I’m the only person who knows what’s right for my body.’’
Playing 100 snaps a game in the NFL? Bring it on.
“I mean, nobody has done it, but I feel I put my body through a lot,’’ Hunter said. “I do a lot of treatment, people don’t get to see that part, what I do for my body to make sure I’m 100 percent each game. I feel I can do it because nobody has done it and I know I can do it. I did it on the college level, where you rarely get breaks. It’s a lot more breaks in the NFL.’’
Hunter’s media availability this week was with the defensive backs and he will work out with the cornerbacks. This does not preclude him from participating in wide receiver drills.
Rarely is there a consensus when it comes to most draft ruminating, but it is fairly accepted this year that Hunter is the best prospect and player, period.
Edge rusher Abdul Carter from Penn State is also in the discussion. That is it.
It seems likely that one of those two exhilarating defensive studs will be on the board at No. 3 for the Giants after the тιтans and Browns make their picks, with Cam Ward the only quarterback expected to go first or second.
Shedeur Sanders, Hunter’s quarterback at Jackson State and Colorado, could be there as well.
The Giants do not look at Hunter and see him filling two spots high on the depth chart.
They view him as a No. 1 cornerback and perhaps a gadget player on offense. Not that they do not value his talent as a wide receiver.
A two-position player is not really viable in the NFL, based on practice time and the heightened threat of injury from all those additional snaps.
Hunter will make a sales pitch to break that mold.
“They say nobody has ever done it for real the way I do it, but I tell ’em I’m just different, I’m a different person,’’ he said.
To figure out where he best fits, the Giants posed a what-if scenario to their scouting department: If Travis Hunter the receiver lined up against Travis Hunter the cornerback, what would that matchup look like?
They concluded he is gifted in both roles but more special and valuable on defense.
Hunter, 21, was born in West Palm Beach, Fla., but grew up in Georgia. His two-way talent was on full display in 2024, with 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He had four interceptions on defense. He won the Chuck Bednarik Award — given to the top defensive player in college football — and the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the top wide receiver. Thus, it made him an easy choice as the Heisman Trophy winner.
“I have some of the top awards and the biggest award in college football, so I feel like, yeah, I stamped myself,’’ Hunter said.
He did not engage when asked “Did you visit with [insert name of team],’ responding, “Next question,’’ to every inquiry. Going No. 1 overall is “super important’’ to him. “That was one of my dreams, to go number one and be the best I can be,’’ he said.
It might happen.
