There’s a thin line between confidence and delusion. Travis Hunter, who runs routes for a living, may have fallen over to the latter category while trying to tread this proverbial line. Turns out even unicorns aren’t perfect. Given the 2-way nature of his game and his unprecedented Heisman year, Hunter was naturally the biggest story at the NFL Combine. Every camera in Indy was in his face. A controversial talking point was unavoidable, and it came. Except it’s transcended football, something Travis isn’t new to. Alas, he’s once again got people talking.

One reporter asked Travis Hunter a straightforward yet weighty question that has caused a stir across the sports realm. “What’s more difficult? What you do in football or what Shohei Ohtani does in baseball?” For the uninitiated, Ohtani is a 2x league MVP who both hits and pitches at a high clip and is arguably a top-5 player in both departments when healthy. The best player in the world, irrefutably. That said, the question was fair since there are indeed parallels between the two athletes. The consensus hivemind online believes Ohtani’s job is more difficult. Which didn’t line with Travis Hunter’s self-confidence, and he’s getting stick for it. “Probably me. What I do in football [is more difficult]. Because it’s a lot on your body. Ohtani, he’s a great player. But you gotta do a lot in football,” he replied. Well, you come for the kin,g you best not miss. 

Amidst the discourse in the backwash of this comment, national analyst Joel Klatt has chimed in with his 2 cents. Speaking over his namesake football show, Klatt leveraged his thoughts. Even the fellow Colorado alum couldn’t concur with Travis Hunter. While he does agree that Hunter’s body is under more duress physically, Klatt believes Ohtani’s skills are more rounded. He was thorough in laying a unique perspective on why Ohtani’s greatness supersedes even Hunter. “Travis Hunter is a rare, rare talent. What makes him great is the fact that he’s got this incredible fitness level,” opined Joel Klatt.

He explained how generational fitness allows Hunter to be on the field longer than anyone. Which is special. But the “traits” he utilizes playing both offense and defense remain the same.“The traits- the explosiveness, the hand-eye coordination, the spatial awareness, the speed, the agility… Everything that he’s using as a wide receiver is the exact same things that he’s going to need as a defensive back. So, the two things that he is doing are not opposed. They’re similar. That doesn’t mean that it’s not impressive because it is. But what Ohtani is doing is the opposite. What you need to be a great hitter is not technically what you need to be a great pitcher. The way that you would train to become a great hitter, a power hitter in MLB, is virtually opposite of how you would train to be a starting pitcher.”

Comparison is the thief of joy. As cliche as that sounds, it’s something the sports sphere needs constant reminding of. Travis Hunter may not fully understand the scale of how difficult baseball is since it’s not his forte. It’s not like he sought out the question to take a dig at Ohtani, either. Hunter has bigger dilemmas to focus on between now and April’s draft. Picture a Venn diagram of Travis Hunter’s opinions. There’s a minority that believes he’ll primarily be a receiver in the NFL. Who plays some snaps on defense. There’s a majority that believes he’d be a lockdown corner used in certain offensive packages. Then there’s the crowd in the middle who are hoping this freak of nature continues his run of doing both with near equal zest. Here’s what Joel Klatt thinks.

Joel Klatt passes judgment on Travis Hunter’s role in the NFL

Most people passing commentary on Travis Hunter’s NFL prospects haven’t seen him half as much as Joel Klatt. As a broadcaster for FOX, he has witnessed every beat of Hunter’s historic junior year. You’d imagine his decree holds weight or at least won’t fall on deaf ears. Both within the masses and NFL front offices. As such, Klatt dished out his opinion of which position, or positions, he sees Travis play. “I believe that Travis Hunter will play both sides in the National Football League,” claimed Klatt. “Actually don’t think it’s that hard…for him!” His rationale was based on the fact that Travis’ workload would decrease on the offensive end. Meaning he’ll have a longer leash, physically, than he’s had before. Why a decrease in offensive workload? 

Because Klatt thinks Travis Hunter’s frame limits him to being more of a WR3 than a WR1. “His size, stature and quickness, more importantly, lend him to being more of a slot player. Get his hands on the ball in creative ways. Which means that his snaps get limited from, let’s say, 60 to 35 just based on game situation and personnel grouping,” he said. This discernment of Hunter came prior to him announcing he’ll be working out as a corner at the Combine. Which does lend to Klatt’s theory. However, there’s an elephant in the room. 

It’s not as simple as just the physical aspect. There are issues with playing both sides that remain unaddressed. Travis Hunter playing both positions will mean he has to divide time in practice. This, in turn, will make it difficult to be on the same page with his quarterback. Although it wasn’t apparent in college, this issue will get amplified to the next level. A lot of ingredients are baked into this one. GMs and coaches are themselves divided over where they’ll utilize Hunter if he’s drafted to their franchises. The Shohei Ohtani stuff has taken precedence over more pressing matters. Klatt’s verdict does suggest Travis was wrong, and the doorway to people getting their takes off is open. Travis shall have plenty of opportunity for get-back though. 

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