Much like Travis Hunter, Charles Woodson played on both sides of the ball in college and won a Heisman Trophy.
In the NFL, though, Woodson, a Hall of Fame defensive back, only did it very briefly, running a handful of plays at wide receiver in his second season with the Raiders. Still, Woodson knows the exclusive skill set required. So, when he sat down with the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie for “FOX NFL Sunday,” Woodson made a lofty comparison.
“I think you’re like the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL,” Woodson told Hunter.
Hunter agreed, simply saying, “Yeah.” But during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Hunter actually made that same comparison himself. In fact, he made headlines when he said that playing both ways in football is more difficult than doing what Ohtani does for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That’s why Hunter doesn’t restrict his vision of himself to just one position.
“I consider myself Travis,” Hunter said. “I just play ball.”
Hunter’s ability to play at an elite level at wide receiver and cornerback led the Jaguars to pay a hefty price to trade up and get him with the second overall pick. Now, he’s seeking to do something that no player has done in modern NFL history: play effectively on both sides of the football.
‘You’re … like Shohei Ohtani’ – Charles Woodson talks with Travis Hunter
“My mindset, my mental,” Hunter said when asked why he feels he’s the player who can succeed at two-way play. “I go out there every single day and show the guys that I’m going to work. They took a chance on me, so why not go in and all-out for them?”
Now, Hunter might need to wait a little bit to make a big impact on offense and defense. He’ll be a full-time wide receiver, but will only fill in on defense in the Jaguars’ Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported.
Still, that doesn’t mean Hunter isn’t busy. When he shared what his typical day is like, Hunter made Woodson a bit dizzy.
“Typical day, wake up, come here, get treatment and eat,” Hunter said. “We have meetings. I go to a defensive position meeting. Then, I go to offensive unit meetings. Then, practice, special teams [work] and the playbook is about this thick.”
Hunter doesn’t mind the work, though, as he’s a step closer to fulfilling his NFL dream. But he also won’t share if his dream preference is making a game-winning catch or a game-winning interception.
“Never answering that question,” Hunter said with a laugh.
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