This Year's NFL Draft Poses a Rare Question

The usual question about the NFL draft is who might go first. This year, there's a second question that might be more interesting: Will any NFL team let Travis Hunter play offense and defense? The 21-year-old out of the University of Colorado is a rarity, explains NBC News: He didn't just play both sides of the ball in college as cornerback and wide receiver—he excelled in both positions. Witness his Heisman Trophy as a result.

• Hunter is a lock to go high in the draft, possibly even as No. 1. "There's an argument for him as the No. 1 overall pick, whatever position you want, which is kind of insane," says Connor Rogers, an NBC Sports NFL draft analyst.
• "It's gonna be an interesting case study because we've never seen this," one NFL passing coordinator tells the Athletic. (All the sources are anonymous in the draft analysis.) The consensus is that he'll have to pick one, because, as one scouting director points out, he likely would not be able to meet the rigorous NFL practice demands for both positions.

• The issue facing any team is that allowing Hunter to play both positions would raise the risk of injury to a franchise player. But Hunter is adamant about being allowed to do so: He told CBS Sports he'd quit the game otherwise. If forced to pick one position, the result would be "never playing football again," he said. "I've been doing it my whole life. ... I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball."
• The draft begins on Thursday. An analysis at NFL.com has Miami quarterback Cam Ward going to the Tennessee Titans as the No. 1 pick, with Hunter going as No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns. For the record, Cleveland GM Andrew Berry said he could see Hunter playing both positions, but with an emphasis on wide receiver.

(More NFL stories.)