The big question surrounding Travis Hunter is whether the NFL team that drafts him will allow him to play both offense and defense, and we now have a better idea of how the Cleveland Browns would utilize the former Colorado star.
The Browns have the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft, and Hunter is one of the players that is favored to be selected at that spot. On Thursday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry was asked how the team views Hunter. Berry praised Hunter for his “tremendous conditioning,” but he said Cleveland considers Hunter to be a wide receiver first.
Berry did note, however, that the Browns would not set any hard restrictions on Hunter if they were to draft him.
“That being said, what he would attempt to do has not really been done in our league, but we wouldn’t necessarily put a cap or a governor in terms of what he could do,” Berry told reporters. “We would want to be smart in terms of how we started him out. I think I mentioned before, we would see his first home as a receiver and his second home on the defensive end.”
#Browns GM Andrew Berry on Travis Hunter: pic.twitter.com/yk3ZDZvKRS
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The Browns have a strong cornerback group that is led by Denzel Ward, who has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons. Their wide receiver room leaves more to be desired. Jerry Jeudy had a breakout season in 2024 with 90 catches and 1,229 receiving yards, but there are a lot of question marks on the depth chart behind him.
It makes sense for the Browns to view Hunter as a wide receiver first. Though, Hunter seems dead set on playing both ways in the NFL like he did in college. He even appeared to give teams a surprising ultimatum recently.
If the Browns pass on Hunter, the New York Giants could draft him with the third overall pick. They have a much stronger wide receiver group than Cleveland, so the Giants may view Hunter as a defensive player first.
