Mel Kiper Jr. Believes Travis Hunter Will Be 2-Way Player Early in NFL Career

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. believes that Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter will play both wide receiver and cornerback early in his NFL career before settling in on one side of the ball.

Kiper said Thursday on NFL on ESPN's First Draft he believes Hunter will be able to master one of the two positions in the NFL "because he's not playing both spots... when he gets into the fourth, fifth year in his career."

"I do think, and I've talked to a lot of people about this, I do think early on in the NFL, he will play both ways....If he's a corner, they're sprinkling this kid in on the offensive side of the ball," Kiper said (21:25 mark of the video below.)

Kiper emphasized that Hunter would play sparingly on the opposite side of the ball once he reaches the NFL, rather than being the almost constant presence on the field he has become in Boulder.

Most recently he was on the field for 123 of 138 snaps during Colorado's 28-9 win over Colorado State last Saturday.

Through three games with the Buffaloes, Hunter has made 30 catches for 342 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

As a cornerback, he has recorded 11 combined tackles, including one for loss, as well as two passes defensed and an interception.

Hunter recently told the Associated Press' Pat Graham that he has an "equal" preference for catching and intercepting passes, and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has expressed confidence the two-way star could succeed as both wideout and corner in the NFL.

It seems likely Hunter will ultimately settle on one position due to the physical demand his current snap totals would place on his body in the NFL.

If teams believe he could chip in on both sides of the ball early in his career, however, Hunter's stock could climb even further ahead of the 2025 draft. B/R NFL Scouting Department projected the two-way junior as the upcoming No. 1 pick in their initial mock draft.