Ravens' two-way player Patrick Ricard makes feelings clear on Travis Hunter's potential continuance of WR-CB role in NFL

Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard warned reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter about the physical toll of playing offense and defense in the NFL. Ricard played both as a fullback and defensive line player in his first three seasons. Hunter, who played college football at Colorado as both a cornerback and wide receiver, aims to translate his two-way abilities into the NFL as well.

Ricard provided his insight on Hunter's positioning during an appearance on the "The Insiders" show on Friday.

"I feel like it's going to be different from college to the NFL," Ricard said. "It's just the NFL is like, these are grown men who, this is their full-time jobs, and I think it's gonna be a little different. He's very impressive. I mean, you don't win Heisman for no reason, especially doing that."

According to CBS Sports' February 25 report, Ricard is among just six players since 2006 to record at least 200 snaps on both offense and defense in the NFL. Former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman utilized Ricard's versatility in multiple positions.

Patrick Ricard warns Travis Hunter: "It's a lot of running"

NFL: Combine - Source: Imagn

Patrick Ricard's caution highlighted the intense physical demand of performing both jobs at the pro level.

"So it's going to be interesting to see if he can play like he said, I think he wants to do 100% of the snaps on both sides like never coming out of the game," Ricard added.

"And that's the hardest part, is you never come out of the game. And the NFL is a long season, much longer than college ... It's a lot of running. That's all I'm going to say."

CBS Sports tracked that Travis Hunter played 713 snaps on offense and 748 snaps on defense throughout his Heisman campaign. His 1,484 total snaps tied the record for any player in one season since at least 2017.

Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver and made 36 tackles, 11 passes defended and four interceptions as a cornerback. This two-way excellence earned him both the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award and the Fred Biletnikoff Award for best receiver.

Moreover, Hunter's draft stock remains on the rise after outstanding offseason training.

NFL history indicates that Hunter will have an extremely difficult time keeping a genuine two-way role. No player has ever posted 400+ snaps on offense and defense in one season since the tracking started in 2006. LA Chargers' Scott Matlock is the closest with 300+ snaps on both sides.

The greatest NFL cornerback/receiver hybrid is still Deion Sanders, Hunter's college coach at Colorado. Sanders had 53 career interceptions and caught 60 passes for 784 yards and three touchdowns. No other player with 10+ career interceptions has caught more than 20 passes on offense.