INDIANAPOLIS — At the NFL Combine, the Titans’ brass lit up when asked their assessment of Travis Hunter.
Coach Brian Callahan said the Colorado two-way superstar has a "really unique ability to do a lot of different things." General manager Mike Borgonzi called Hunter a "special player" who plays both wide receiver and cornerback at a "high level." Callahan and Borgonzi are aligned in their belief that it’s very realistic for Hunter to make significant contributions at both positions in the NFL.
The feasibility of that has been a hot topic in league circles.
"I don’t know that there’s anybody that’s actually done what he’s done in modern-day football," Borgonzi said, "playing both offense and defense during the course of the season."
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So, is Hunter the kind of talent that warrants the top overall pick?
After all, there’s no guarantee that the quarterback-needy Titans will pursue Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward. Penn State star Abdul Carter is firmly in the conversation; Tennessee reportedly granting Harold Landry III permission to seek a trade brightens the spotlight on the team's hole at edge rusher. And recall, too, that new Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said earlier this offseason that the franchise wouldn’t pass on a "generational talent" at the top of the board.
On Wednesday, Borgonzi described a generational talent as a player with a "rare skill set" that can take the team to another level regardless of the position he plays.
The way the Titans’ brass spoke of Hunter, it sounded like he could be one in their eyes.
"I think he's a unique player. There's not a whole lot of other players you could compare to what he's done," Callahan said. "There's not many guys that have played that many snaps on both sides of the ball. And you watch his tape, and you see his ability to play both at a very high level. So, yeah, I think anybody that you talk to about him is going to say the same thing, that he's got the ability to play both. And I think you're going to find out where he fits if you were to get him."
[Related: Can Travis Hunter really play two ways in the NFL? Here's what it'll take]
Let’s say the Titans do see Hunter as a generational talent. That doesn’t mean that he’s the only prospect they view in that light. In fact, Borgonzi confirmed that there are a "handful" of prospects at the top of the board that fit that description.
But that only invites more questions: How many do they see as generational prospects? Does that include Sanders and/or Ward? And if so, how do they rank generational talents across positions, weighing the value of those positions in accordance to the needs of the team?
Then there’s the chess component of the draft board.
Even if Hunter turns out to be Tennessee’s top guy, maybe the Titans don't want him at No. 1. There’s a scenario where they look to trade back a few spots to nab him, accumulating much-needed draft picks in the process. But how far could they reasonably trade back to still get him?
Like the Titans, the Browns — who have the No. 2 pick — are a quarterback-needy team that isn’t a slam dunk to take a passer.
"Just like we’re going to have a free agency strategy, there’s going to be a draft strategy, too," Borgonzi said. "We’ll get together as a group and think through all that. But you certainly don’t want to pass up on one of those [generational] players if you think they’re there. And the opportunity to trade back, depends on how far you can go back to get that player."
Hunter would certainly help the Titans at cornerback, where they have veteran Chidobe Awuzie (due $7.5 million in guarantees in 2025), Roger McCreary (entering a contract year) and 2024 fifth-round pick Jarvis Brownlee Jr. as their top three options. But Hunter would make a world of difference at receiver, where they have a jarring dearth of talent. Their best receiver is Calvin Ridley, who turns 31 in December. Their second-leading receiver, 27-year-old Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, is set to hit free agency after tying for ninth in receiving touchdowns last season (9).
Hunter won the Heisman Trophy (best overall player), Fred Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) and Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) at Colorado last season.
"You gotta put your teeth in a position first, and then you see where you can add him in," Callahan said of Hunter. "So those are all conversations that we have as we work through the process on a player like him. What do you do with a player like him? And where do you first start him? And where does he help you on all sides of the ball? He can [also] return punts.
"He probably starts at corner," he continued. "And then you find ways to interject him into the offense as he gets more comfortable, he plays more and more offensively."
Sounds like Hunter is a one-of-a-kind talent that could be just what the Titans say they need.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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