Earlier this month, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce revealed his thoughts on the NFL prospects of Travis Hunter, one of the more unique players to enter the NFL Draft in recent memory. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last year as the best individual player in NCAA football; it wasn’t a surprise, either, seeing as Hunter excelled as the Colorado Buffaloes‘ #1 receiver and as a lockdown cornerback for a nine-win team.
Kelce believes that Hunter will have to prove to NFL teams that he can — and should — play both sides of the ball at the highest level; the three-time Super Bowl champion cautioned that teams are going to scheme around tiring him out and reducing his impact on offense, defense, or both. Hunter has since fired back at Kelce, perhaps laying the groundwork for a rivalry of sorts this fall.
Hunter: I’m going to prove myself to Kelce and to everyone else
On the latest edition of “The Travis Hunter Show“, Hunter — widely expected to be a top-five pick in next month’s NFL draft — responded to Kelce with a promise: he’s going to prove that he can play, at a high level, on both offense and defense for whichever team selects him on April 24.
“Like he said, I have to prove that I can do it. So that’s my main thing,” Hunter said, “Imma prove that I’m gonna do it and I can do it. So he’s not telling no lie. I still got to prove it. You know, I just can’t go to the league and they just, ‘Oh, here you go, Trav, you could do all this,’ and I don’t go out and show up how I’m supposed to show up.”
Hunter led the Big 12 Conference in receptions and receiving touchdowns in 2024, helping Colorado to a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. On defense, Hunter made 36 tackles, deflected 11 passes, and recorded four interceptions. He was named an All-American and swept major individual honors that include the Heisman, the Bednarik, and the Camp Award; he is not expected to tumble beyond the Jacksonville Jaguars at the #5 pick.
Wherever Hunter goes, expectation will follow. As the man himself has said, it is up to Hunter to capitalize on his immense potential and blaze a new trail in the NFL.
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