"You're bound to get hurt": Stephen A. Smith gives blunt advice to Travis Hunter ahead of 2025 NFL draft

Travis Hunter was a force on both sides of the football for Colorado last season. According to ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, that doesn't mean he should try doing the same at the next level for whoever he gets selected by in April's NFL draft.

Talking to Hunter and former Auburn standout quarterback Cam Newton on Radio Row in New Orleans, Smith explained why Hunter should stick to one position going forward.

"Size," Smith said during a Thursday appearance on "4th&1 with Cam Newton." "If you're on both sides of the ball, it's overexposure. You're bound to get hurt. You have to protect yourself by picking what you do best."

Why Travis Hunter wants to be a two-way player at the next level

With his showing for the Buffaloes, Travis Hunter became the first player to bring home both the Bednarik Award and the Biletnikoff Award, given to the best defensive player and receiver in college football.

Hunter also hoisted the Heisman Trophy, narrowly beating out Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty for the stiff-arming statue.

He had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns for the year. As a defensive back, he racked up 35 total tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended, and a forced fumble.

"It kinda showed me what I can do when I'm fully locked in," Hunter said on his podcast last month. "It's definitely something I'll look back on and (be) like, 'Dang, I got all these trophies that I didn't know of that I knew I could reach, but I didn't know to a certain extent that I would get all the ones I wanted to get."

Though he was tireless as a collegian, leaving his mark on the sport, the physical demands at the next level could possibly wear on the 6-foot-1, 185-pound athlete. There hasn't been a NFL player who lined up consistently on both sides in recent memory. Hunter's coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders, played both ways during his Pro Football Hall of Fame career. Sanders also played Major League Baseball.

Hunter has joked that he wouldn't stop at football, possibly following in Sanders' footsteps.

"If y'all don't know, I could play a lot of sports," Hunter said. "But, you would never know because I play football. But, I can play basketball, too. I can run track. I could do long jump, high jump. I could play baseball if I felt like it."

Time will tell if Travis Hunter can manage the workload he's asking for.