How Travis Kelce believes NFL teams will attack Travis Hunter, the cornerback, to slow him down at wideout
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up the draft board to select former Colorado star Travis Hunter at No. 2 overall because they believe he can be a generational athlete. Not only did the reigning Heisman Trophy winner also win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver, but Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as well.
Hunter is expected to take snaps at both wide receiver and cornerback at the next level, but how is it going to look? What are some of the challenges that come with playing receiver and cornerback in the NFL that Hunter was able to overcome in college? How will the Jaguars handle his snaps, and how will other teams account for him?
During a recent appearance on “Bussin’ With the Boys,” Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce said that he believes NFL teams are going to attack Travis Hunter the cornerback to wear down Travis Hunter the wide receiver.
“Both sides? See that’s the thing. I don’t know how they’re going to divy it out,” Kelce said. “I don’t know — because teams are going to be going after him. They’re gonna try and make his day miserable. If he plays corner, they’re gonna run deep balls at him all day. They’re gonna run the wide receivers, just take off on him all day, just to try to get him tired. Why wouldn’t you just attack him that way?”
Kelce said he believes Hunter is going to be a good player, calling him a “world class athlete.” But the 22-year-old has quite a physical task ahead of him. Not only will he have to run sprints down the field in coverage, but he’ll be asked to play a part in run support as well.
Hunter played 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps last season for the Buffaloes. He played the most total snaps (1,484) by any player in a single season since at least 2017. Hunter was indeed a generational college football player, but it remains to be seen if he can make a massive impact on both sides of the ball in the NFL.
