NFL Consultant Clears Stance on Travis Hunter’s Injury Scare & Impact on Draft Stocks After His Reckless Polynesian Bowl Stunt

Even freaks of nature aren’t averse to freak accidents. Unicorn Travis Hunter almost got his wings clipped before he even took flight. This time period between the end of your final collegiate season and April’s NFL Draft is extremely precarious. One misstep can have career-altering consequences. Fortunately for Travis, he’s prevented disaster after a quite literal misstep.

Travis Hunter cannot keep himself away from football. As if playing essentially every snap of every game wasn’t enough, he’s still in and around the game. Travis was at the Polynesian Bowl, a showcase of some of the country’s best high school talent, as an honorary captain. The game itself lived up to the billing. The climax was an apt microcosm that showed the sport is in good hands going forward.

5-star future USC Trojan Husan Longstreet threw a 75-yard go-ahead TD to take a 28-21 lead in the dying embers for Travis Hunter’s Team Makai. What ensued, though, was a potential crisis. Travis charged toward future Oregon WR Dakorien Moore to celebrate with him in the endzone. Right as he was about to leap up and embrace Moore, Travis Hunter lost his footing and slipped. It’s a bit of a blessing the Heisman winner didn’t throw his ACL joint or something. Because boy was that knee bending in a direction it’s not supposed to. Travis got right up, and a collective sigh of relief was taken around the footballing sphere.

Naturally, the footage of this mishap did the rounds on social media. One particular post found traction with a current  NFL coach/consultant. Under an IG post by Yahoo Sports was Willie Anderson leveraging his take on what transpired with Travis. Anderson has worked directly with the Bengals and Ravens as an O-line trainer and also consults players individually. He, in jest, of course, wrote. “This just boosted [Travis’] stock. Shows flexibility, toughness, and awareness to get under the kid. He also got out the [way] and cared enough to make sure buddy was ok 😂 1st pick 😂” It’s great that things didn’t turn out differently, and people can hence joke about the incident. However, the underlying sentiment still holds true either way.

It’s not hyperbolic to say Travis Hunter, being the athletic specimen he is, saved him. Most players suffering the exact same fall may not have left that field on their own accord. The guy is honestly built differently. He and suitors across the NFL will keep that in perspective. Alas, they’ll see it live in the flesh during the Combine next month. He’s a consensus top 5 pick come April, but Travis’ game in the pros won’t necessarily translate from CFB with linearity.

Travis Hunter saves his NFL prospects for now, but a sacrifice remains imminent

The masses are in agreement about Travis Hunter’s general draft stock, as well as one other thing. That he won’t be able to sustain playing both sides of the football in the NFL for a variety of reasons forthcoming. As a result, there’s a divergence when it comes to his primary position. There’s a minority that believes he shall primarily be a receiver in the NFL, who plays some snaps on defense. Conversely,  the majority believes he’d be a lockdown corner used in certain offensive packages.

The skepticism isn’t about whether Travis has the ability to play both sides. It’s about whether he, or anyone, can deal with the toll it will exact on their bodies. The NFL is unequivocally a step up from college across the board. Shannon Sharpe has said, “If you played the game, [you] understand how hard it is to play one position in a full game.  You’re not playing two positions every single snap. You’re just not…” This school of thought is multifold. 

Firstly, playing both CB and WR will inadvertently lead to diminishing returns. You can’t give 100% of yourself to both, and the NFL demands that. Secondly, if Travis gets injured, his team loses a vital cog in not one but two positions. You can’t account for roster depth. If that rationale wasn’t enough, here’s an irrefutable shortcoming. Playing both sides will mean Travis has to divide time in practice. This, in turn, will make it difficult to be on the same page with his quarterback. Although it wasn’t apparent in college, this issue will get amplified in the pros. Sometimes, less is more. Travis Hunter stands on the precipice of a likely sacrifice. With a healthy ACL to support him, thankfully!