- The workload is a concern, but the formula is clear: There are fewer elite cornerbacks in the NFL than wide receivers, giving Hunter added value on defense. Whoever drafts him will have to weigh how much to play him on offense and defense.
- Hunter could easily enter a new realm of non-quarterback value: If he produced as a top cornerback while logging productive snaps at wide receiver, Hunter would likely beat out several low-end starting quarterbacks in PFF’s WAR metric.
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Two-way superstar Travis Hunter is one of the most unique prospects in the history of the NFL draft. It’s rare for a player to have any level of success on both sides of the ball against top college football competition. Hunter is the exception after asserting two-way dominance in 2024.
The debate surrounding Hunter, of course, is whether he could possibly sustain that level of production in the NFL. Playing more than 1,500 snaps in 2024, he found a way to rank as a top-seven wide receiver in PFF receiving grade and a top-seven cornerback in PFF coverage grade. Those efforts led to a Heisman Trophy, but what could his optimal usage plan be at the NFL level?
Durability is the primary concern when considering Hunter’s ability to play offense and defense close to full time in the NFL. He is among the most durable athletes we’ve ever seen. However, unfortunate things happen on a football field, and injuries don’t discriminate. He missed three games in 2023 due to a hit he took as a wide receiver. While he appeared in every game this past season, two of his appearances were cut short, including Colorado’s loss to Kansas State, due to a banged-up shoulder.
The NFL’s season is longer and much more physically demanding than the college game. Hunter’s value on both sides of the ball could theoretically make him the most valuable non-quarterback in the NFL. Whoever drafts him will need to find a way to maximize that value while keeping Hunter healthy.
The most common line of thinking is that Hunter should be considered a cornerback who can moonlight as a wide receiver in obvious passing situations. It’s generally assumed that it is easier to design packages and concepts for a player to rotate in on offense than on defense.
We’ll start with Hunter’s value at cornerback. First, there are fewer elite cornerbacks in the NFL than wide receivers. Cooper DeJean, a rookie, led all qualified cornerbacks with an 86.3 PFF overall grade in 2024. Ten qualified wide receivers finished with an equal or higher PFF overall grade last season.
That level of positional scarcity makes Hunter more valuable among his peers at cornerback. When looking at PFF WAR, the elite cornerbacks stack up well with the top wide receivers, but the drop-off toward average is a bit steeper and cornerback performance year-over-year is far more volatile.
Hunter ranked second behind Texas’ Jahdae Barron with a 0.86 mark in Wins Above Average — PFF’s college-adjusted WAR metric — at cornerback. Barron also had three more games to pad that mark, making Hunter effectively the most valuable cornerback on a per-game basis. In fact, Hunter’s 0.86 Wins Above Average was bested by only five FBS quarterbacks last season.
Let’s assume in a best-case scenario that Hunter is capable of becoming the best cornerback in the NFL. Patrick Surtain II’s 0.72 PFF WAR in 2024 led all non-quarterbacks, and if Hunter were to achieve something similar while adding the value of a top-40 or top-50 wide receiver — Rashod Bateman, for example — he would suddenly insert himself into a stratosphere of value reserved exclusively for quarterbacks.
Consider the following PFF WAR numbers from a handful of starting quarterbacks last season:
| Jameis Winston | 1.04 (24th) |
| Trevor Lawrence | 0.99 (25th) |
| Caleb Williams | 0.99 (26th) |
| Drake Maye | 0.81 (29th) |
While the above players were on the low end of production, their PFF WAR totals still surpassed the best of the non-quarterbacks because of their impact on the game. Hunter’s value could theoretically best these players if he were the best cornerback in the NFL and played at a top-40 level at wide receiver.
Even if we tone down Hunter’s production to the level of a top-15 cornerback and a top-40 wide receiver, say Byron Murphy Jr. and Xavier Worthy, he would be the most valuable non-quarterback in the NFL.
While the impact of having him play as much as he did at Colorado would be enormous, he could still rank among the league’s elite performers if he fulfills his potential at cornerback while contributing at a reasonable level on offense.
This news was originally published on this post .
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