Daniel Jeremiah places Travis Hunter as a WR in NFL over DB

Travis Hunter might be better off as a wide receiver rather than a defensive back, according to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.

Jeremiah regularly evaluates the draft and Hunter is an enticing prospect this year. The Heisman winner excelled on the field for Colorado, playing both sides of the ball at an excellent level.

But the NFL is a different animal and despite Hunter’s wishes and statements that he’ll play offense and defense, he might have to choose one.

“Most times when you have guys that can do the two way thing, and it goes back to, you know, Champ Bailey and (Charles Woodson), all those guys, they major in defense and they minor in offense,” Jeremiah said on The Pat McAfee Show. “It’s just a lot easier to sprinkle them in on offense than to sprinkle in on defense. The challenge for me coach, I actually like him better at receiver than I do at corner, and he’s, you know, he’s not big. He’s gonna be a little over, you know, 170-175 pounds. 

“So asking him, you know, even though he was able to do it in college, I think in the NFL, where they’re gonna pull him into the run game a little bit more. I prefer him on offense over defense.”

Jeremiah had Hunter going No. 2 overall in his first 2025 NFL Mock Draft to the Cleveland Browns. He felt Hunter could be a great offensive weapon for Cleveland next season, rather than “moonlight” on defense.

While he’ll get his opportunities to be on both sides of the ball, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer recently reported that cornerback is more likely for Hunter in the pros.

“I actually spent the morning reaching out to 13 different GMs and head coaches,” Glazer said on FOX NFL Sunday in December “I asked exactly that question, and it was overwhelming: cornerback. Now look, the one GM who said ‘I would put him at wide receiver,’ the reason why? Elite ball skills. Everybody else said corner. Why? Elite ball skills. 

“But he said, it’s just so hard to find a shutdown corner like that. However, they all said, even though we start him at cornerback, we would definitely find packages in place for him on the offensive side of the ball, just a different type of cat.”

Charles Woodson, who also won a Heisman and was known for his two-way prowess, sided with Hunter on defense. Of course, Hunter played wide receiver at a higher level than Woodson, but the latter is a Hall of Famer and might have some insight.

“Top five pick, for sure. But just what Jay Glazer just said, really took the words out of my mouth. I’d play him on defense, but too talented of a player,” Woodson said. “I mean, that’s what Deion was doing with him by playing him so many plays on offense and defense, he knew he couldn’t leave that guy on the sideline. So on offense, there’s going to be some packages that I’m going to have for him. Great ball skills. We saw him catching balls in the end zone with guys draped all over him. You can’t leave a guy like that on the sideline. So I would have something for him on offense, but defensive player primarily.”