Travis Hunter is just built different. But his recent ambitions going into the NFL have caught the eyes of fans and media for being unrealistic as no one has played on both sides of the ball like he has in the last 50+ years.
Hunter is in Indianapolis to attend the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. He won’t be participating in the workouts but rather focusing on team meetings and interviews with several franchises. This week, Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe got critical about Hunter and his plans to dominate on the field.
Shannon Sharpe Gives Blunt Reality Check to Travis Hunter
The intensity of football is quite different between college and at the pro level. The 21-year-old Colorado Buffaloes star might have wowed fans and experts with his two-way skills in the Pac-12 and Big 12, but in the NFL, things are a lot different.
Injury concerns are more significant at the next level as everybody is bigger, faster, and stronger, and playing both offense and defense could take a massive toll on the body. Hunter claimed he wanted to dominate on the field as a wide receiver and cornerback, going for 100% of the snaps at both ends. According to Sharpe, he is just daydreaming.
“I don’t think he realizes how many 100 snaps in the NFL. People don’t realize that. There’s a difference between college [and the NFL],” Sharpe said on his “Nightcap” podcast when discussing the NFL Combine.
“I mean, that receiver, the Stanford receiver that put 200 on him, I don’t even know if that guy’s in the league, and if he is, he ain’t playing a whole lot,” Sharpe said, referring to Elic Ayomanor’s 13-ctach, 294-yard, three-TD game against Colorado in October 2023. However, the Stanford star was actually an early-declare as a redshirt sophomore and is a projected second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Regardless, Sharpe continued by sharing the gauntlet that CB1s have to face in the NFL, contrasting the difficulty between college and the pros.
“Now, you got Jetta [Justin Jefferson] one week, you got [Ja’Marr] Chase one week, you got Courtland Sutton one week, you got A.J. [Brown], Davante [Adams], you got CeeDee [Lamb], Tyreek [Hill], [Jaylen] Waddle — now you got them,” Sharpe said.
“Week after week after week after week; now [as a wide receiver] you’re going up against PS2 [Pat Surtain II]. You got Denzel Ward, you got [Derek] Stingley [Jr.], you got Jalen Ramsey,” he added, alerting Hunter of what’s ahead for him.
According to the current NFL Draft order, the Tennessee Titans could be in contention for the Colorado standout. Although they are in dire need of a QB, having a prospect of Hunter’s caliber is not an opportunity often afforded to franchises. If they pass on him, the Cleveland Browns or the New York Giants might pounce on getting him in April.