“It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle”: Former NFL scout hails Travis Hunter’s decision to label himself a CB for 2025 Scouting combine

Former NFL scout John Middlekauff believes Travis Hunter made the right call in labeling himself as a cornerback ahead of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. The dual-threat Heisman Trophy winner has decided to declare himself as a defensive back ahead of the NFL Draft.

There has been a ton of speculation as to whether or not Hunter would be able to play both wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL. He can only declare as one position and it seems NFL teams will be eying Hunter as a corner ahead of the draft.

Given how deep wide receiver is in this draft class, and how difficult it is to find talented corners coming out of college, Middlekauff believes that was the right call, as he explained on his show, "3 And Out," on Tuesday.

"I think Travis Hunter, whether he made this decision, whether Deion helped him make this decision, whoever helped him make this decision in his life, it was the correct decision," Middlekauff said (17:00 onwards). "Because when you look at the wide receiver class, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. It's all size. Different size requirements. Some teams need this, some teams need that. They're just not viewed as highly in the sense of, 'I can find guys later in the draft.'

"That is just not true for corners. At the end of the day, Travis Hunter, as a wide receiver prospect, he is really good. He is a first-round wide receiver prospect. But I don't view him like Ja'marr Chase. Or last year I thought Malik Nabers was a better prospect than Marvin Harrison."

Travis Hunter brings unique talents to NFL

Travis Hunter is a rare breed of athlete. The Colorado Buffalo was the program's leading receiver this past season, as well as their most productive defensive back in the secondary.

In his 2024 campaign, Hunter hauled in 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball.

NCAA Football: Alamo Bowl-Brigham Young at Colorado - Source: Imagn

On defense, Hunter recorded 11 defended passes, four interceptions, and a forced fumble. For a player to be this productive on both sides of the ball is unprecedented. Now that he has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter is expected to go within the first few picks on the night.

He can greatly impact a franchise by establishing himself as a starting cornerback, but also occasionally producing on the offensive side of the ball from time to time should his respective coaching staff be okay with it.