Travis Hunter's 'fisherman' habit makes being a 2-way star possible, Browns coach says
Top NFL Draft prospect Travis Hunter has made his intentions clear for his rookie season – he only intends to play for a team that will utilize him on both sides of the ball. While some NFL coaches have expressed reservations about being a two-way star at the professional level, one coach seems to believe it's possible.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he spoke with the former Colorado star about those concerns. He said based on their conversation, he believes Hunter is "equipped to do both."
"You know, I remember having a conversation with him about, 'There's only so many hours in the day, so you're going to have to meet extra with this coach or that coach,' and he made a comment that he's a fisherman. He gets up at 5 in the morning quite often, so that's not a problem for him in terms of maximizing his day."
Stefanski added that Hunter "is somebody that is uniquely equipped to do both."
Hunter is projected to be selected by the Browns with the No. 2 overall pick, and the move would make sense for the Heisman Trophy winner based on Stefanski's remarks.
Hunter recently said he would rather quit football altogether than be stuck to just one position.
"It's never playing football again," he told CBS Sports. "Because I've been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it."
Some NFL coaches have questioned the reality of that outcome.
"It's going to be interesting to see how they do it, wherever he goes. But to say that you're going to be completely immersed in everything that there is to know on offense and everything there is to (know on) defense, I don't know if there's enough hours in the day for a player to be able to do that and to have every detail locked down," Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said last week.
"You could certainly do it, I would think, on one side of the ball and then have some sort of a package on the other side of the ball, which is my guess is how the team will do it, wherever he goes."
Last season, Hunter played 713 snaps on offense and 748 snaps on defense and was still incredibly productive despite the enormous amount of snaps. He had 96 catches for 1,258 yards with 15 touchdowns as a wide receiver, while he had 35 tackles with four interceptions, 11 passes defended, and one forced fumble as a cornerback.
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