Famed Sports Doctor Predicts Bad News For Travis Hunter’s Rookie Season

The comparison to Christian McCaffrey, whose career has been marked by both elite production and frequent injuries, immediately raised eyebrows. Hunter dealt with injuries in each of his collegiate seasons between Jackson State and Colorado. He suffered a lacerated liver against Colorado State in 2023, which kept him sidelined for three games.

Morse later clarified his reasoning and believes Hunter's risk factor goes skyrocketing. “You know how hard it is to play all 17 games on 1 side of the ball," Morse added. "The risk drastically increases if he plays both ways.”

That’s the challenge facing Hunter at the next level as he'll attempt to make NFL history as the league’s first full-time two-way player in more than six decades. The physical toll of playing both cornerback and wide receiver is already daunting in college, but in the NFL with faster, stronger athletes and longer seasons, it becomes a monumental task.

Hunter has drawn comparisons to Hall-of-Famer Chuck Bednarik, who played full-time on both sides of the ball from 1949 to 1962. Since then, no player has sustained that workload across an entire season. Hunter is eager to prove himself and embrace the “Unicorn” label that has followed him since his days at Colorado.

As No. 2 overall in April’s NFL Draft, Hunter signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $46.6 million contract with the Jaguars, including a $30.5 million signing bonus. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he is the first non-quarterback outside of the No. 1 overall pick to ever structure his deal that way.

Hunter also became the highest-drafted cornerback and second-highest drafted wide receiver in league history. The investment speaks to Jacksonville’s belief in Hunter’s rare talent, but the warnings are there to reminds everyone about the physical demand of a two-way role in today’s NFL carries serious injury risk.