Travis Hunter (6-1,185), the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, played over 750 snaps at cornerback and receiver during his final season at Colorado and he plans to continue playing both positions in the NFL.
"They say nobody has ever done it the way I do it," Hunter said Thursday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. "I tell them, 'I'm just different. I am a different person.' I put my body through a lot in college to make sure I was able to do this. I do a lot of treatment and work that others don't see."
Hunter started 13 games in the 2024 season and registered 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 TDs. As a corner, he posted 4 interceptions and 11 pass defenses.
While at the Combine, Hunter has taken meetings with teams as a receiver and defensive back.
"I am going to play both and it's not my job to figure out how it's going to work," Hunter said. "I like to play both sides of the ball and if a team gives me the opportunity to play both sides ball, then I am going to play both."
Motor City to the Big Apple … Again?
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, a projected first-round pick, would embrace becoming the second CB in four years with Detroit roots to join the Green & White.
"I loved meeting with the Jets," Johnson told reporters Thursday at the Combine. "That staff was great. Love Coach [Aaron] Glenn and what he's done for Detroit. I'm a Detroit guy, so it was great to see what he's done. We talked a little ball, talked a little scheme, too. Seemed like they got a pretty complex game, but I would love playing in it and playing with Sauce [Gardner] would be cool, a guy grew up around, too."
Johnson and Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick in 2022, did not compete on the same team growing up since Johnson is 3 years younger but they participated in the same programs.
Johnson prides himself on being a technician, something he learned from his father, Deon, who played at Michigan in the early 1990s when the Wolverines won the Rose Bowl ,in 1993.
Like Gardner (6-3, 190), Will Johnson (6-2, 203) has length. Johnson also likes to watch tape of Patrick Surtain (6-2, 202), the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year drafted No. 9 overall in 2021.
"I think using the mix of high length, athleticism, patience technique, that's really how the height helps me out," he said. "I still can be patient, still can have technique that helps me use that a little bit better."
Continuing the Georgia Tradition
First-year players from the University of Georgia took the NFL by storm in 2024. The Raiders' Brock Bowers shattered the rookie tight end receiving yards record while Chargers WR Ladd McConkey surpassed 1,100 yards and 7 TDs in 16 games.
Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks (6-1, 205) believes he can make the same Day 1 impact.
"The University of Georgia, they just teach you so much," Starks said. "It's not just about being physical there. It's about the X's and O's. They teach you the mental part of the game. You can't get onto the field until they trust you and I think that is why it translates to the league."
Starks started all 15 games of his freshman year (2022) at Georgia, including the Bulldogs' national championship game victory over TCU. He earned All-American honors in '23 and finished his career with 6 interceptions and 197 tackles over 3 seasons.
Big Safety With Big Speed
South Carolina S Nick Emmanwori (6-3, 223) feels his size for his position is unique.
"A safety like me hasn't come through this league in a long time with my size, my speed and my ability," Emmanwori told reporters Thursday at the Combine in Indianapolis. "I'm a bigger dude and I can run. I'm not scared to make tackles, I'm not scared to cover any slots, tight ends. I use my size to my advantage."
A corner in high school, the Irmo, SC, native expects to run a 4.3 40-yard dash. With his blend of size and speed, he said he's received comparisons to four-time Pro Bowl S Kam Chancellor (6-3, 232). Emmanwori's defensive backs coach, Torrian Gray, coached Chancellor at Virginia Tech.
"I remember [Gray] telling me a lot of guys thought he was a linebacker coming out of college and a lot of other stuff," said Emmanwori, who turned 21 years old earlier this month.
