“Nowhere near as difficult” - Colin Cowherd plays down Travis Hunter’s claim of possessing tougher skillset than Shohei Ohtani

Travis Hunter made waves in college football as a dual-threat superstar with the Colorado Buffaloes, won the Heisman Trophy in his senior year, and proved he's a one-of-a-kind, generational draft prospect who could play on both offense and defense at an elite level in the NFL.

His exploits on both sides of the ball earned him comparisons to Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. However, he downplayed the comparison, claiming playing offense and defense in football was tougher than being a pitcher and a hitter. Hunter's bold take sparked a massive debate, with some siding with the former Buffaloes superstar.

However, Colin Cowherd laughed off his take and claimed Ohtani's feat was a lot more impressive. On his podcast, the analyst said:

“What Travis Hunter is attempting to do in the NFL, play both wide receiver and cornerback, is admirable, even impressive. But let's be real, it's nowhere near as difficult is what Shohei Ohtani is pulling off. So zip it."

Cowherd explained that pitching and hitting are two vastly different skillsets, and it's incredibly difficult to do both, let alone dominate like Ohtani does:

"I mean, they're both pro athletes, both wear jerseys and play in stadiums, and both use a ball. That's where it ends. But to be a dominant hitter and a dominant pitcher, those are two completely different, diametrically opposed skill sets.”

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Deion Sanders fires warning to teams about Travis Hunter's future as a dual-threat star

While Shohei Ohtani has already proven his mettle as a dual-threat superstar in Major League Baseball, Travis Hunter's exploits as a cornerback and a wide receiver have been limited to college football.

Some analysts have suggested that the young star will likely not get the opportunity to play on both sides of the ball in the NFL. However, Deion Sanders has warned teams to refrain from drafting him if they do not intend to use him on offense and defense. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, the Hall of Famer said:

"[Travis Hunter is] gonna [play on offense or defense], or [teams] shouldn't draft him. I'm gonna make sure of it. Don't draft him if you're not going to give him an opportunity to play on both sides of the ball." [From 3:23]

It remains to be seen whether the team that drafts Hunter uses his skillset as a cornerback and a wide receiver or forces him to specialize in one position and either sporadically or not at all in the other.