They said two-way players couldn’t survive in the modern NFL, but Travis Hunter is all set to prove them wrong. The Jaguars’ rookie, selected second overall in the 2025 Draft, intends to become the first two-way player in over six decades. After a Heisman-winning season at Colorado, where he thrived as both a wide receiver and cornerback, Hunter is set to break barriers. Hunter’s intentions are clear: “I’d rather retire than give up one side of the ball.” But even before the season starts, his ambitious goal is already stirring debates across the league.
Travis Kelce weighed in, calling Hunter a “world-class athlete.” He even marveled at his basketball clips, but couldn’t resist drawing the line between college stardom and NFL grind. Kelce leaned back in his chair on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, flashing that trademark grin, and tossed out a challenge disguised as a strategy. “If Travis Hunter plays corner, just run deep balls at him all day. Tire him out.” He floated the idea that NFL teams could work him out by running deep routes at him all game. But the plan didn’t even survive its first test in the football media arena.
On the July 8, 2025, episode of FS1’s First Things First, both Nick Wright and former NFL head coach Eric Mangini delivered blunt truths that exposed serious flaws in Kelce’s theory. Nick Wright wasted no time debunking Kelce’s logic. Citing one of football’s fundamental truths, Wright declared, “The difference between the great and the greatest is that the greatest players don’t get tired. They’re just operating on another level.”
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He further argued that Hunter’s elite stamina and motor make him uniquely capable of handling the demands of a two-way role. Wright said, “And it feels like Travis’s theory here — that ‘tire Travis Hunter out’ — that will work? I don’t see there being a massive difference in energy expenditure from college to pros. The guys are faster, but I feel like he was at 100. I don’t know if he’s going to get tired.”
So, Wright’s core point is that Hunter’s endurance is what makes him special. Even coach Eric Mangini acknowledged Hunter’s elite talent. “He may be built different — he’s shown that he’s built different.” Mangini strongly criticized Chiefs‘ Travis Kelce’s suggestion that teams could tire Hunter out. “If Travis Hunter is covering their best receiver, you’re going to tell your best receiver, ‘Hey, go run a go route all day. You’re a decoy. We’re not going to throw you the ball?’” So, he blatantly dismissed Kelce’s idea as unrealistic.
But he emphasized a stark warning, “There’s a significant difference between college football and the NFL.” He detailed the increased physical toll of the pro game. “In college, he played what — 11, 12 games? In the NFL, that’s 17 games, plus preseason, plus playoffs. That’s a massive shift.” He advises making Jacksonville Jaguars player Hunter a full‑time corner and “rotating him into third‑down, red‑zone packages” on offense so coaches can manage snaps. At just 175 pounds, teams won’t just let Hunter rely on speed and skill. They will try to hit him hard and see if he can handle the physical side of the game.
Backed by the team’s faith
In 2024 alone, Hunter played an astounding 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps, proving his elite stamina—even at high altitude in Boulder (5,430 feet above sea level). As Coach Prime put it, “The tempo of the game is not as fast as college football. That will help him.” Hunter is also clear about his vision on playing on both sides. Jacksonville’s coaching staff, led by head coach Liam Coen, has a clear plan to use Hunter efficiently without overloading him.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Jacksonville Jaguars-Travis Hunter press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz Apr 25, 2025 Jacksonville, FL, USA Jacksonville Jaguars first round draft pick Travis Hunter talks to the media during a press conference at Miller Electric Center. Jacksonville Miller Electric Center FL USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xTravisxRegisterx 20250425_jcd_na7_0030
Jaguars insider John Shipley weighed in on Jaguars Insider Podcast, saying, “If teams want to devote their resources to stopping Hunter or making him tired, that just opens things up for Brian Thomas.” He also emphasized Hunter’s athleticism and physicality, adding that he can “recover, outmaneuver, or even outmuscle most wideouts.” Since selecting him second overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jaguars have high faith in Hunter.
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile harbors deep respect for the kind of effort Hunter has shown. Executive VP Tony Boselli also talked about how Hunter has exceeded his expectations, further adding, “it’s the person that I’m most enamored with.” If managed smartly, Hunter’s versatility could become a game-changing asset, defying Kelce’s doubts. As Hunter himself said, “My job is to come out and be Travis Hunter,” it seems that he is adamant about becoming the first true two-way superstar in over 60 years. Hunter’s dual-role ambitions will soon meet reality, when the Jaguars face Kelce’s Chiefs on October 6, 2025 (Monday Night Football).
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