2025 NFL Draft: ESPN's Matt Miller compares Travis Hunter to Odell Beckham Jr.

As the 2025 NFL Draft quickly approaches, one of the big discussions will be about what position Travis Hunter should play. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2024 after a huge season at both wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado, which makes his draft evaluation even more interesting.

To ESPN’s Matt Miller, Hunter has the ball skills and body control to thrive at wide receiver in the NFL. In fact, he compared Hunter’s skillset to that of Odell Beckham Jr.

Miller especially saw similarities between Hunter’s current game and Beckham’s in the early part of his career. Based on the film at Colorado, where opposing defenses struggled to contain Hunter no matter what the play call was, Mller said it’s very similar to how Beckham looked coming out of LSU.

“He is the most exciting player in this year’s draft, and the comp for him is equally exciting,” Miller said Thursday on NFL Live. “As a receiver only, I see Odell Beckham Jr. You’ve got to remember early OBJ with the crazy catches he made, the ability to stop and start on a dime, the quickness and speed that he played with and his ability to make tacklers miss. Travis Hunter has all that. You can watch him on slip screens, you can watch him work down the field. No one could stop him. They could try zone coverage, they tried press coverage, they tried bracket coverage. No one had an answer for Travis Hunter last year when he played wide receiver.

“Again, going back to those early OBJ days with the New York Giants, the ball skills that Travis Hunter has – those Velcro hands. To me, the body styles are reminiscent and that big-play ability is something that I think we’ll see from Travis Hunter early in his rookie year.”

Hunter totaled 1,258 yards and a Big 12-leading 15 touchdowns on offense while adding 36 tackles and four interceptions on defense as a cornerback. He was listed as a defensive back at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, but was also in attendance for the wide receivers’ day.

Conversations continue about which position Hunter should play in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce recently weighed in on that debate, encouraging him to primarily play cornerback but also jump in for a package of plays at wide receiver. But where he goes on the board could also determine what he primarily plays.

For example, ESPN’s Field Yates projected the New England Patriots were projected to select Hunter in his two-round mock draft this week. The Patriots have been searching for more receiver help, and even after bringing in Stefon Diggs, Hunter could provide an elite No. 2 option.