Video: Deion Sanders Refuses to Tell Chad Johnson if Travis Hunter is Better WR or DB

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 30, 2024

Ric Tapia/Getty Images

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders declined to box two-way star Travis Hunter into one position when pressed by former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson.

During Sunday’s episode of his Nightcap show with Shannon Sharpe, Johnson told Sanders he believes Hunter is a better wide receiver than cornerback and sought the coach’s opinion on the matter.

“I ain’t telling ya nothing,” Sanders said. “I’m treating you like a pro scout. You’re gonna have to find out on your own. I know the answer.”

Coach Prime made the point that Hunter has had “more opportunities” to shine as a wideout, which doesn’t necessarily mean he’s better there or wouldn’t excel as a cornerback.

Sanders went on to say that clearly defining one position for Hunter could present a dilemma.

Fans would want to see him line up at receiver if were exclusively a defensive back. In the opposite situation, the calls for Hunter to play defense might be equally loud if a team’s corner was routinely getting burned while his skills were only being utilized on offense.

The junior has remained one of the most electric talents in college football through Colorado’s 4-1 start. He has 46 receptions for 561 yards and six touchdowns along with 15 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups.

As much as Sanders doesn’t want to put a limit on his player’s usage, there will probably come a time when Hunter has to chose one position over the other.

There simply isn’t a modern-day precedent for somebody balancing offensive and defensive duties in the NFL for a sustained period of time.

In 1996, Sanders did a little bit of everything by lining up at cornerback, wide receiver and on special teams, but he’s a clear exception. And even then, that one year was a clear outlier in his Hall of Fame career. His 475 receiving yards in 1996 accounted for more than half of his career total (784 yards).

For now, fans should enjoy Hunter’s two-way exploits while they can without worrying how his game translates to the NFL.