The 2024 campaign was widely expected to be Travis Hunter‘s final one at the collegiate level. The two-way Colorado star confirmed on Thursday he is indeed headed for the NFL draft this spring. When asked if he would declare, the true junior said, “That’s definitely for sure” (h/t ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg). Unsurprisingly, Hunter will be among the top prospects in the 2025 class. Over the coming months, one of the main talking points will be whether NFL teams evaluate him as a corner or receiver, but in any case, he will not need to wait long to hear his name called on draft night.
One of the top recruits of head coach Deion Sanders during his time at Jackson State, Hunter made history as the first five-star recruit to commit to an FCS school. The nation’s top prospect was limited to eight games during his only season at Jackson State, but he flashed considerable potential on both sides. He followed Sanders to Colorado last offseason, and in 2023, Hunter scored five offensive touchdowns while adding three interceptions.
That success resulted in a first-team All-American nod and the Paul Hornung Award (given to the country’s most versatile college player). Hunter entered 2024 with high expectations, and he has delivered so far with a 74-911-9 stat line as a receiver (to go along with one rushing touchdown). He has matched last year’s interception total on defense while adding eight pass deflections. After averaging nearly 115 total snaps per game last year, Hunter has remained a mainstay on both sides of the ball in 2024.
It will be interesting to see if teams near the top of the draft board consider Hunter a corner, receiver, or player capable of handling a role on offense and defense. To little surprise, he said via Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he wants to play both ways at the NFL level, but plenty of time remains for a determinization on that front to be made.
Only one defensive back in NFL history has been selected first overall (Gary Glick in 1956), while four receivers have had that honor (the most recent being Keyshawn Johnson in 1994). In a year where the quarterback position is not highly thought of, Hunter could find himself in contention to hear his name called first during the draft’s opening night. In any case, NFL suitors can now proceed knowing he will be turning pro ahead of the 2025 campaign.