2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Travis Hunter, WR/CB Colorado
Travis Hunter will likely go down in history as the most dominant two-way player in college football history. The wide receiver/cornerback was tops in the country at both positions at Colorado, leading to a resurgence of the former great Buffaloes program.
Hunter played full-time on both sides of the ball accumulating an outlandish 1,458 snaps played in 2024. It’s amazing how productive he was without taking a breather. He set school receiving records, while also being the top defensive player in the Big 12. This athletic freak was something to behold in 2024.
Recruitment
Hunter was the top recruit in the country in 2021 coming out of Collins Hill High School in Georgia. As a junior, he was named the MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year after recording 51 tackles and eight interceptions on defense, while also setting the Gwinnett County single-season records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with 137 catches for 1,746 yards and 24 touchdowns. He led the Eagles to a 12–3 record and an appearance in the Class 7A state championship game.
Hunter missed five games due to an ankle injury during his senior season, but was still able to put up outstanding numbers with 76 receptions for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense with 23 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble on defense. Hunter had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the state championship game, leading Collins Hill to a 15-0 record and its first state title in school history. In the GEICO State Championship Bowl Series, Hunter had 10 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team to a 40-36 victory over Washington State Champions Graham-Kapowsin. Hunter finished his high school career with a Georgia state record 48 receiving touchdowns.
The two-way star originally committed to Florida State before decommitting and signing with Jackson State, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). It was one of the most surprising flips in college football history as Hunter became the first consensus top-ranked prospect to commit to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program.
Former Florida State great and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was the reason why. Sanders, known as a shutdown cornerback who also occasionally played offense and special teams, was able to convince Hunter that he was the man to grow him into a professional athlete.
Hunter spent just one season with the Tigers. His freshman year was slowed down by an ankle injury that forced him to miss five games. Despite not playing at 100% all season, Hunter was still named the SWAC Freshman of the Year and also earned Second-Team All-SWAC honors. He was able to help the Tigers go undefeated and win the SWAC Conference Championship, along with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders.
When Deion Sanders accepted the head coaching job at Colorado, his son and Hunter followed him to Boulder.
Collegiate Career
After his one-year stint at Jackson State, Hunter showed that he could compete with the big boys, putting together a solid sophomore season despite missing three games. He played full-time on both sides of the ball as a wide receiver and cornerback. Hunter was able to record 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns while adding 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, and five passes defended. The Buffaloes struggled as a team though, finishing with a 4-8 record.
The expectations were high for Hunter and Colorado entering the 2024 season, and both produced. He was the best player in the country on both sides of the football. Hunter, along with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and a bid to the Alamo Bowl.
Along the way, Hunter had one of the best seasons in school history. He finished with a school-record 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball and added 36 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended on the defensive side of the ball.
Everyone in the country took notice of Hunter’s exploits. After the season, he was lavished with postseason awards. Hunter won the most prestigious award in the country when he was named the Heisman Trophy winner. He was the first wide receiver to win the award since Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in 2020, and only the fourth wide receiver to ever win the award. At the same time he was only the second defensive player to win the award, following Michigan’s Charles Woodson, who won in 1997.
On top of the Heisman Trophy, Hunter also became the first player to ever win the Chuck Bednarik Award, as the nation’s best defensive player, and the Fred Biletnickoff, as the nation’s best wide receiver.
Hunter also won the Walter Camp Award, as the nation’s best player, as well as the Lott Trophy for being the nation’s best defensive player with upstanding personal character. He won the Paul Hornung Award twice as the nation’s most versatile player. Hunter was also a Unanimous All-American selection and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Strengths
- Elite athletic traits that separate him from most players
- Long arms help him play bigger than his 6-1, 185-pound frame
- Incredible YAC ability, can take any play to the house
- Insane body control gives him the ability to make tough contested catches
- Twitchy player who can accelerate quickly in small spaces
Weaknesses
- Concerns over ability to play both ways at the next level
- Has dealt with injuries multiple times throughout his career
- Needs to work on perfecting his route running
- Could add some weight to a smallish frame
Draft Value
Courtesy of NFL Mock Draft Database.
Hunter is the most athletically gifted player in the draft. He spent most of the year as the top overall prospect, and never fell farther than third overall. He is expected to be a top-five selection in the 2025 NFL Draft in April.
Every team in the NFL would love to have Hunter on their roster come this fall, but team needs might determine where he eventually goes. Every team drafting in the top five could use his services, but there are multiple teams that need quarterback help.
At the top of the draft are the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants. All three of them could possibly go Hunter, but each one is also in need of a quarterback.
The New England Patriots draft fourth and seem to be like a likely landing spot for Hunter. It was the team he was mocked to the most according to NFL Mock Draft Database. If the Patriots decide it is more important to go offensive line in order to protect quarterback Drake Maye, who was the third pick in the 2023 draft, then the Jacksonville Jaguars would be on the clock at pick number five. It would be hard to think of a scenario where the Jaguars don’t take Hunter if he drops to them.
Dynasty Outlook
Fantasy managers are in a bit of a quandary when it comes to Hunter. Is he a wide receiver or a cornerback? Is there any way he could actually play both ways in the NFL? Which team ends up drafting him could make a big difference in how fantasy managers see Hunter.
If a team picks Hunter and says he is going to primarily be a cornerback, but will play some offense, then his value takes a massive hit. That would drop him from a top-five pick in rookie drafts to probably somewhere in the late second round or even into the third round.
If a team takes Hunter and says he will be a wide receiver first and a defensive player second, then the sky is the limit. That could potentially push Hunter into the conversation for pick 1.01 or 1.02 in 1QB and superflex formats.
If it looks like he will potentially try to play both ways, then Hunter becomes an absolute unicorn in IDP formats and has to be the clear favorite to be drafted with the 1.01 pick in those types of leagues.
Currently, Hunter is ranked anywhere from WR1 to off the board for many fantasy analysts. The persistent question of whether he will play a large percentage of offensive snaps has many people worried about drafting him. If Hunter is going to play a lot of offense, it is going to be extremely hard to rank him outside of the top three to four wide receivers in this draft alongside Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, Missouri’s Luther Burden, and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka.
If the draft happens and there is not a clear-cut idea of Hunter’s role for his new team, then there will be a lot of nervous fantasy managers come draft day. How you and your leaguemates view Hunter’s long-term dynasty potential has the ability to swing your league’s entire rookie draft. Hunter could end up being the steal of your draft or the biggest bust. The potential variance of outcomes is so drastic. Are you willing to take the risk?
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Travis Hunter, WR/CB Colorado - January 31, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Cam Ward, QB Miami - January 29, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado - January 17, 2025
