Louis Riddick warns Travis Hunter on differences between NFL and Big 12 as Jaguars star remains adamant on playing two-way 

Travis Hunter is a special player to enter the NFL this year. During his entire collegiate stint, he played both sides of the ball as a cornerback and wide receiver. This special talent led to Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy last year with the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars then traded up with the Cleveland Browns to acquire Hunter with the No. 2 pick in this year's NFL draft. Despite knowing the intensity of playing football professionally in the league, the ex-Colorado star remains adamant about continuing his two-way playing style for the Jaguars.

However, former NFL star turned analyst, Louis Riddick, came forward to share his thoughts. He made an appearance on Friday's episode of "The Rich Eisen Show" and highlighted the difference in playing both sides of the ball in the NFL and the Big 12.

"Obviously, he's playing against 11 5-stars on the other side of the ball every game," Riddick said. "You don't have like one, or two and then a couple of 3-stars.

"So the physical strain and the mental strain... every hit that he takes, every route that he runs, every wide receiver that he covers, every tackle that he makes is physically going to exact take a toll on his body that's going to be measurably more significant than when it was in Colorado," he added.

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Riddick also expressed his doubts about Travis Hunter being able to keep up on both sides of the ball in the NFL because of the intensity of the game. He said the 2024 Heisman winner could try sustaining as a two-way player, but he does not see him lasting for long if he chooses to do so.

Before the draft, Hunter opened up that if a team did not allow him to play both ways, then he would never play football again.

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Jaguars head coach Liam Coen believes in Travis Hunter's two-way skills

Despite concerns, Liam Coen has allowed Hunter to practice both sides of the ball this offseason. The ex-Colorado star trained both as a CB and WR during the start of mandatory minicamp on Thursday.

During the post-camp press conference, Coen was questioned if this meant Hunter would play both as a cornerback and wide receiver during his debut campaign this year.

"That's definitely what we have to build towards for training camp and then, obviously, in season," Coen said. "Knowing that, during practice he's gonna have to do both. He wants to do it. It's not as if it's something where he can't handle. He wants to go and do that more. He wants more and that's a good thing."

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Last year, the Jaguars finished with a disappointing 4-13 record. This led to the team firing Doug Pederson and bringing in Liam Coen as his replacement. Only time will tell if his gamble with Hunter pays off big time during his debut campaign.