NFL Draft analyst explains why NFL teams should play Travis Hunter 'wherever he wants'

To this point in the NFL Draft cycle, nobody is quite sure exactly which position Travis Hunter will play. Hunter is in Indianapolis and will work out with the cornerbacks but he is not completely giving up wide receiver. The final decision may come down to the team that selects him in April.

If you were to ask ESPN’s Matt Miller, Hunter could play wherever he wants.

“Wherever he wants, I think is the easy answer,” Miller said.

Miller sees the talent at both cornerback and wide receiver, being a top prospect at both positions. His first instinct was to say wide receiver because a player of Hunter’s caliber should be making plays with the ball in his hand. But if the ultimate decision is to be a two-way player, cornerback certainly needs to be the primary position.

“Early in the process, I said he’s a wide receiver because I think you want the ball in his hands,” Miller said. “That was my take early. I will say, having been on the road for the last month and talking to teams, my opinion has started to change because they say it’s harder to find good corners than it is good receivers.

“We have to keep that aspect in mind. It’s easier to have a package of ten plays on offense. You can’t do that on defense. Like, you can’t, can’t moonlight on defense, basically. So, I think if you’re going to let him play both ways, it has to be defense first.”

Another aspect brought up in the discussion from Miller was future contracts. Recent NFL trends see wide receivers making a ton more money than cornerbacks. Justin Jefferson is currently the highest-paid WR with an annual value of $35 million. Miami’s Jalen Ramsey is at over $10 million less, making $24.1 million per year.

At the same time, no player has attempted to do what Hunter has done in a long time. However, his future team views him might have a major impact in negotiations five years down the road.

Every player’s goal is to get a second contract in the NFL, really cashing in. Keeping up the two-way play until then is going to be difficult but Miller believes Hunter has the ability to pull it all off.

“The conditioning that he has is rare,” Miller said. “It’s raved about. I think, work ethic, the love of the game? Those things are just — he should be applauded for that in and of itself… I think he could keep it up, at least early on.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a 30-year-old Travis Hunter playing nickel corner and slot receiver but I certainly think, early in his rookie contract… You’re going to try to get your money’s worth as an NFL team. If he wants to play 2,000 snaps a season, he has shown the ability to do that.”