Why Travis Hunter’s WR Snaps Are More Valuable Than Defense

Domonique Foxworth served seven seasons as an NFL cornerback and even he knows elite wide receivers are more valuable than elite players at the position he played.

“I'm embarrassed to say that, because of the way that the game has developed and because of how difficult the cornerback position is to play, it's wide receiver,” Foxworth said on Thursday’s edition of Get Up. “I think this pass-happy league really needs a wide receiver that tilts the defense. And if you have a choice between one and the other, then you got to go with the wide receiver. It's more consistent.

“Even great corners have bad years. You'll see it fluctuate from year to year, who's the best corner in football. And sometimes the guys who are great before fall to the bottom of the list. If you have a great, great wide receiver that requires the attention of the defense on every single play, I think that does give you more of an advantage than if you have a great corner that the offense can choose to avoid.”

It's why teams like the Rams have chosen to invest their money in wide receivers rather than cornerbacks. It’s also why the game’s highest-paid WR (Ja’Marr Chase, $40.25 million) averages $10-million more per year than the highest-paid cornerback (Sauce Gardner, $30.1 million).

And, it’s why James Gladstone and Liam Coen want Travis Hunter to major in offense and minor in defense as he begins his NFL career.

“For our fans, I’ll tell you, don’t be scared,” Gladstone said on April 24 after trading up with Cleveland to select Hunter second overall. “This is something I’m uniquely positioned to navigate. … He is somebody who is deserving of a first-round draft pick as a wide receiver, and he is worthy of a first-round draft pick as a corner.

“Certainly, look forward to each of those elements showing themselves over the next few years while he is under his rookie contract, but yeah, we’re excited about just getting him in the boat, so to speak.”

Interesting that Gladstone brought up Hunter’s contract. The Jaguars in June opted to make Hunter, reportedly the first non-quarterback not selected first overall, receive his full signing bonus. Guaranteeing that bonus up front might serve as a small gesture of goodwill, but the Jaguars will need it down the road.

And when Hunter becomes eligible for his second contract, he figures to have significant and unprecedented leverage.

The other factor in Hunter’s projected playing time is the fact that Coen has an offensive pedigree, and could influence any tie-breakers in both advance game plans and in-game situations.

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