Malik Nabers' Take: Which Position Should Colorado's Travis Hunter Play in the NFL?

Former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers took Baton Rouge by storm during his impressive three seasons with the purple and gold.

The No. 6 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft rewrote the record books after becoming the program's leader in receptions (187) and receiving yards (3,003) as a star for the Bayou Bengals.

Now, Nabers has emerged as one of the top wide receivers in the National Football League as a member of the New York Giants organization.

During his rookie campaign in the Big Apple, he ranked fifth in the league in receptions with 109 and seventh in receiving yards with 1,204 despite missing two games.

Nabers scored seven touchdowns, including two in a win over the Colts in Week 17 when he caught seven passes for a career-best 171 yards. He also had three games with 10 or more receptions with a season-high 12 coming against Dallas in Week 4.

Now, he's chimed in on where he believes Colorado Buffs two-way star Travis Hunter should play in the NFL after dominating both sides of the ball in Boulder.

Should Hunter play wide receiver? Cornerback? Both?

Nabers, one of the top receivers in the NFL, provided his thoughts in an interview with The Athletic.

"I don't want to put a ceiling on his ability of athleticism," Nabers said. "(As a receiver), he can go up and get the ball, (make) contested catches. His route-running ability, he has to be a cornerback and a receiver, he can run pretty routes."

It's clear Hunter is exceptional on both sides of the ball with Nabers now giving his take that the two-way star should continue playing both ways in the National Football League.

But what do the NFL analysts and evaluators believe?

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah Weighs In:

Jeremiah believes Hunter's bread and butter will be at the wide receiver position in the NFL after seeing him be more "impactful offensively" in 2024.

"I saw that for two years," Jeremiah said. "Last year, corner-wise and doing him over the summer, there was a little more raw, not as consistent. He was more on the impactful side offensively. … He's improved drastically coverage-wise from last year to this year."

NFL Draft Guru Todd McShay Gives His Thoughts:

For McShay, one of the most notable NFL Draft experts in the field, he believes the same: Hunter is a wide receiver.

But he also believes there is a way Hunter plays both sides of the ball with different packages.

“I think he's a more advanced receiver and better receiver than he is a corner,” McShay said to Albert Breer. "But I don't see a scenario where he's a full-time receiver that you're working in packages as a corner.

"I think it's the reverse. I think he's rare. You have to have a plan. My plan would very likely be let's develop him as a corner and put in installs every week where we utilize him at wide receiver."

"His body control, flexibility, the ability to contort, adjust, all that stuff is rare," he said. "When he gets the ball in his hands, it's like a different animal comes out. Everything's under control. He's so smooth."

Now, with the 2025 NFL Draft just a few months away, all eyes will be on Hunter's stock as both a wide receiver and cornerback at the next level.

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