ESPN's Matt Miller predicts Travis Hunter will have to choose between WR, CB in NFL

When Travis Hunter was coming out of Collins Hill (Ga.) High School, his ability to play both sides of the ball jumped out. On offense, he shined as a wide receiver, and he also proved to be effective on defense at cornerback as he became a top-rated recruit.

That two-way success carried over to college under Deion Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado. After all, Prime Time played a similar style throughout his career. But as Hunter gets ready to likely head to the NFL this year in the draft, he could be facing a decision, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller.

When it comes time for teams to speak with Hunter, Miller predicted he’d have to pick between the two positions. It’s all part of the evaluation process as the former Five Star Plus+ prospect enters his junior season and becomes draft-eligible.

“He’s a three-way player,” Miller told Kevin Negandhi on SportsCenter Tuesday night. “But I do think at some point, he’ll be really forced by NFL teams to make a decision. We saw last year, he was playing more snaps than anyone in college football early in the season. And then, he had an injury – not related to his playing time – and he had to miss multiple games. So I think Step 1, he’s got to prove he can stay healthy. He’s not a big guy. He’s an undersized player.

“And then, I think that ability to just hone in on one position. To say, I’m gonna work on understanding the intricacies of the wide receiver position or the technique of the corner position. He’s gonna have to make that decision. But he is a playmaker where you want the ball in his hands.”

Hunter missed time last year after suffering an injury against Colorado State, but still cemented himself as a key piece of Sanders’ plan at Colorado. On offense, he hauled in 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns while adding 30 tackles and three interceptions on the defensive side.

There’s one more area where Miller thinks Hunter can succeed, though. He wondered if returning kicks could be in the cards once he gets to the NFL. That’ll also be part of the conversation when the pre-draft process picks up in the winter.

“Personally, I think he has better upside as a receiver and a return man than he does at corner. But that decision will ultimately be his,” Miller said. “When we get to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, I bet we’ll have teams saying ‘Travis, where do you want to play in the NFL and how do you see yourself fitting into the program we have going here?'”

Matt Miller projected Travis Hunter as the No. 9 overall pick in his early 2025 mock draft Tuesday. His NFL projection will be worth watching this season as Colorado enters Year 2 of the Coach Prime Era.