‘Be the first one’ – NFL stars want Travis Hunter to make history so they can use him in Madden video game
Travis Hunter is not alone in his personal quest to make NFL history. An All-Pro defender also wants Hunter to become the first player to consistently play offense and defense in the modern era. Travis Hunter can change the NFL — and how video games are playedGetty “I want to see him in the league,” New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams exclusively told talkSPORT. “I’m encouraging him to do it — be the first one to do it. I ain’t seen nobody doing it. It ain’t gonna hurt, you feel me?” Hunter is one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, joining Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. But Hunter is the only one who’s threatening to quit football if he isn’t allowed to bounce between cornerback and wide receiver series after series. “I just feel very confident in myself,” Hunter told CBS Sports. “I got a competitive spirit that I can do whatever I put my mind to, and I feel like I can do it.” Williams believes the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner can gain a big advantage in the pros by understanding offensive and defensive schemes. The Jets All-Pro also has his own personal reason for hoping that Hunter becomes even more of a trail blazer than Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson were. “Starting at cornerback, but then having a package on offense,” Williams said. “That’s how I’m thinking it. When he get here, on Madden, that’s how I’m using him.” GettyQuincy Williams is a big fan of Hunter playing both ways in the pros[/caption] GettyHunter won a Heisman Trophy by playing corner and receiver[/caption] Deion Sanders, who coached Hunter in college, played in the NFL and MLBGetty Jets teammate Isaiah Davis is also an early admirer of Hunter’s sport-changing ability. “From seeing what he did in college, I can definitely see him having an impact on both sides of the ball,” Davis exclusively told talkSPORT. “So long as you put in the work, things will play out. So he put the work in, does it the right way. I’m excited for the opportunity he’s going to get.” Outside of potential injury, the biggest issue that Hunter could face as a two-way player is balancing his snap count. That amount could double weekly as long as he insists on playing two positions. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller praised Hunter as a generational talent. “I’ve never seen anyone like him, and I’ve been covering this sport for 15 years professionally and watching it my entire life,” Miller exclusively told talkSPORT. “I’ve never seen anyone like him, even going back to guys like Charles Woodson, Adoree’ Jackson. There are linebackers like Myles Jack who played a little bit of running back, as well. I mean, it’s unprecedented for someone to play as much as he has on both sides of the ball.” But while Williams wondered how Hunter will handle a potentially historic snap count, Miller questioned how realistic Hunter’s two-way vision is. “I’m excited to see him try,” Miller said. “I don’t think it’s possible. I think just the amount of time that it takes to be great at one position, now we’re going to double that. And I would worry. “We’ve seen this with some guys on defense in the NFL, where they come in and too much is given to them. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a good example. Isaiah Simmons is another — guys who were first-round picks and they were drafted to be chess pieces, and then too much was put on their plate and they ended up having to be moved to a new team and see their roles changed. Hunter is willing to practice and study more in the NFLGetty “I would worry the same thing. If you put too much on his plate early, does he fizzle out because he’s not able to first establish himself at one position?” Sanders and Jackson split time between the NFL and MLB, but neither consistently bounced between offense and defense in the NFL. Yet it was Sanders’ coaching and mentoring at Colorado that helped Hunter win a unique Heisman. “He has a great mentor in Deion Sanders, who did a little bit of this in the NFL,” Miller said. “(But) it wasn’t a situation where right out of college, ‘Hey, welcome to the NFL.’ You’re going to have to do double the meetings that everyone else does. That’s just — it’s not really practical.” But if anyone can make NFL history and redefine a video game at the same time, it’s an Academic All-American of the Year who is intent on becoming a true 1-of-1 in football. “He’s a 4.0 student. Apparently all he does is play football and go fishing,” Miller said. “So he has the free time to attempt to this. But I don’t know that any young player could take on that type of role and responsibility.” An All-Pro linebacker who understands the daily demands of the NFL thinks otherwise.
Travis Hunter is not alone in his personal quest to make NFL history.
An All-Pro defender also wants Hunter to become the first player to consistently play offense and defense in the modern era.
“I want to see him in the league,” New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams exclusively told talkSPORT.
“I’m encouraging him to do it — be the first one to do it. I ain’t seen nobody doing it. It ain’t gonna hurt, you feel me?”
Hunter is one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, joining Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
But Hunter is the only one who’s threatening to quit football if he isn’t allowed to bounce between cornerback and wide receiver series after series.
“I just feel very confident in myself,” Hunter told CBS Sports.
“I got a competitive spirit that I can do whatever I put my mind to, and I feel like I can do it.”
Williams believes the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner can gain a big advantage in the pros by understanding offensive and defensive schemes.
The Jets All-Pro also has his own personal reason for hoping that Hunter becomes even more of a trail blazer than Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson were.
“Starting at cornerback, but then having a package on offense,” Williams said.
“That’s how I’m thinking it. When he get here, on Madden, that’s how I’m using him.”
Jets teammate Isaiah Davis is also an early admirer of Hunter’s sport-changing ability.
“From seeing what he did in college, I can definitely see him having an impact on both sides of the ball,” Davis exclusively told talkSPORT.
“So long as you put in the work, things will play out. So he put the work in, does it the right way. I’m excited for the opportunity he’s going to get.”
Outside of potential injury, the biggest issue that Hunter could face as a two-way player is balancing his snap count.
That amount could double weekly as long as he insists on playing two positions.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller praised Hunter as a generational talent.
“I’ve never seen anyone like him, and I’ve been covering this sport for 15 years professionally and watching it my entire life,” Miller exclusively told talkSPORT.
“I’ve never seen anyone like him, even going back to guys like Charles Woodson, Adoree’ Jackson. There are linebackers like Myles Jack who played a little bit of running back, as well. I mean, it’s unprecedented for someone to play as much as he has on both sides of the ball.”
But while Williams wondered how Hunter will handle a potentially historic snap count, Miller questioned how realistic Hunter’s two-way vision is.
“I’m excited to see him try,” Miller said.
“I don’t think it’s possible. I think just the amount of time that it takes to be great at one position, now we’re going to double that. And I would worry.
“We’ve seen this with some guys on defense in the NFL, where they come in and too much is given to them. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a good example. Isaiah Simmons is another — guys who were first-round picks and they were drafted to be chess pieces, and then too much was put on their plate and they ended up having to be moved to a new team and see their roles changed.
“I would worry the same thing. If you put too much on his plate early, does he fizzle out because he’s not able to first establish himself at one position?”
Sanders and Jackson split time between the NFL and MLB, but neither consistently bounced between offense and defense in the NFL.
Yet it was Sanders’ coaching and mentoring at Colorado that helped Hunter win a unique Heisman.
“He has a great mentor in Deion Sanders, who did a little bit of this in the NFL,” Miller said.
“(But) it wasn’t a situation where right out of college, ‘Hey, welcome to the NFL.’ You’re going to have to do double the meetings that everyone else does. That’s just — it’s not really practical.”
But if anyone can make NFL history and redefine a video game at the same time, it’s an Academic All-American of the Year who is intent on becoming a true 1-of-1 in football.
“He’s a 4.0 student. Apparently all he does is play football and go fishing,” Miller said.
“So he has the free time to attempt to this. But I don’t know that any young player could take on that type of role and responsibility.”
An All-Pro linebacker who understands the daily demands of the NFL thinks otherwise.
