“It doesn’t allow him to be great” - Mel Kiper Jr. claims Travis Hunter’s 2-way talents will hurt his NFL career potential

Versatility may be the Achilles heel of the highly rated Travis Hunter heading into the NFL draft. That's according to NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. when it comes to the Colorado star who excelled at both wide receiver and cornerback.

On Monday's edition of ESPN's "First Draft," Kiper said:

"Being so great at both spots kind of hurts him a little bit because it doesn’t define where he’s going to be great in the NFL and it doesn’t allow him to be great at that spot." (02:40)

The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner played on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in college. Kiper says if he’s utilized in that way in the NFL, it’ll have a negative effect on the youngster.

"So you’re not gonna be out there fresh every play when you’re playing so many plays on both sides of the ball with the demands of tackling and covering down the field and preventing touchdowns and then scoring touchdowns," Kiper said.

Hunter is set to attend the NFL Combine this week as a cornerback. It remains uncertain whether the Heisman Trophy winner will participate in drills with defensive backs, wide receivers or both.

On Kiper's updated mock draft board, he had Hunter being selected third overall by the New York Giants.

"Travis Hunter, to me, is clearly, without any hesitation, by a mile the best wide receiver in this draft," Kiper added. (3:43)

Here’s a full look at our NFL draft order.

Travis Hunter's outstanding college accolades

In three seasons in college, Hunter put together some outstanding numbers on both sides of the ball. After one year at Jackson State, where he had 188 yards receiving and four touchdowns, to go along with two interceptions, one for a score, he moved to the University of Colorado.

Under the watch of Deion Sanders, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. He also had four interceptions, 11 passes defended and a forced fumble.

He was a unanimous All-American after being a consensus one in 2023. He was also an Academic All-American and captured the Chuck Bednarik Award for top defensive player in 2024. In addition, he was named the College Football Player of the Year by The Sporting News and The Associated Press.