Mike Vrabel answers whether Patriots would let Travis Hunter play both ways

Travis Hunter wants to play both offense and defense in the NFL like he did at Colorado, and the New England Patriots are one team that might be open to letting him do that.

The Patriots have the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Hunter is one of the players who could be available at that spot. Mike Vrabel was asked about Hunter on Monday at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. The Patriots head coach indicated that he would be willing to give Hunter reps at both wide receiver and defensive back.

“I think there’s some things he can improve on by probably concentrating on just one position. But never going to put any restrictions on Travis or any player,” Vrabel said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.com. “We try as much as they can handle. We’re going to continue to put more on their plate.

Mike Vrabel answers whether Patriots would let Travis Hunter play both ways — *Jul 21, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes receiver Travis Hunter during Pac-12 Media Day at Resorts World Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports*

“If he were on our football team and showed great skill at one position, and started to really do well in his conditioning, and it didn’t fall and didn’t drop (off), we would be open to playing everybody we had at more than one position. Anything that would help the football team, I’d be all in favor of.”

While Vrabel said he would not place restrictions on Hunter, he also noted that he believes there needs to be a “primary focus” for any player who wants to succeed in the NFL.

A recent report claimed the Patriots view Hunter as both the best wide receiver and best cornerback in the 2025 draft class. New England already has two top corners, however. Christian Gonzalez has been one of the lone bright spots for the team over the past two seasons. The Pats also signed Carlton Davis to a 3-year, $60 million deal this offseason, so they should have one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL next year.

The Patriots signed Stefon Diggs to a three-year contract last week, so they are slightly deeper at wide receiver now. They could definitely find use for Hunter on offense, though, as the Heisman Trophy winner had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns last season at Colorado.

Hunter has already challenged teams to allow him to take on as much as possible at the NFL level. Vrabel and other coaches must admire the confidence, but the reality is Hunter will likely be asked to focus mostly on one position regardless of where he lands.