A sign of things to come?
The NFL released the list of players that will be attending the combine at the end of this month.
To no surprise, Travis Hunter was among those invited to participate in the NFL’s biggest offseason event.
What was surprising, is the position Hunter was listed at.
And that was defensive back.
There has been speculation on what position the two-way phenom would play in the NFL and if it would be possible to play both sides of the ball.
The answer has now become just a bit clearer.
He will be participating at the combine as a DB.
That isn’t to say he won’t partake in any wide receiver drills at Lucas Oil Stadium, but now it seems unlikely.
The Heisman Trophy winner is among the short list of names to be the no.1 overall pick in the draft.
The Tennessee Titans have the top pick and a roster that sorely needs an infusion of talent.
Hunter could supply elite talent, at two positions.
Two for the price of one.
However, judging by Hunter’s decision to attend the combine as a defensive back, he may be putting all his attention and focus on that side of the ball.
At the University of Colorado, Hunter excelled on both sides of the ball and was doing things that no one had seen before, in terms of snaps played and impact he had on both offense and defense.
He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
He also recorded 35 tackles, snagged four interceptions and broke up 11 passes.
His head coach, the unapologetic (and Hall of Famer) Deion Sanders, has sung the praises of his star player, calling for him to play both sides of the ball at the next level.
Primetime appeared on the Dan Patrick Show last Friday doesn’t see why Hunter couldn’t do it.
“Why not?” Sanders asked.
“You playing the NFL game, and it’s much slower than the college game. The college game is no-huddle. It’s tempo. We have plays after plays after plays after plays.
“The pro game is so darn slow. You go into the huddle, you take your time, you call another play.
“Not only that, you can’t touch them, you can’t hit them in the secondary, so the risk of being injured is not as such as the college football game, the pro game protects you even more.
“I think what he does should transcend to the next level. He’s already shown what he’s capable of doing.
“The reason they’re saying he can’t do both because they never fathom to do both.”
Sanders is right.
It hasn’t been done.
Sure, there have been guys who have played a couple snaps here and there on offense and defense, but it is extremely rare, and nowhere near the volume of what Hunter did in college.
If the combine is any future indication, then everyone’s favorite two-way star, will have to settle at just one position.
