Can Travis Hunter really play both sides of the ball in the NFL?
Wait, let’s take it a step further.
Can Travis Hunter really win awards on both sides of the ball in the NFL?
Everything mentioned above might seem unlikely, but when has that ever mattered when it comes to gambling?
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Post-NFL Draft, FanDuel Sportsbook has posted a bunch of odds having to do with No. 2 pick Hunter. Two of those wagers go as follows:
Travis Hunter to win either Offensive Rookie of the Year or Defensive Rookie of the Year: +320 (bet $10 to win $42 total)
Travis Hunter to win both Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Jacksonville’s Hunter winning either OROY or DROY isn’t a long shot. He’s +750 to win OROY (third on the oddsboard) and +1000 to win DROY (also third on the oddsboard).
But winning both is something no player has ever come close to in NFL history, because rarely do players play both offense and defense. And if they do, they play one side of the ball far less often than the other.
Hunter’s college coach, Deion Sanders — arguably the best cornerback of all time — played a good amount of offense for the Cowboys during the 1996 season. He was targeted 67 times and caught 36 passes for 475 yards and one touchdown.
But Sanders is also regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time, considering he spent nine seasons playing professional baseball as well, for the Yankees, Braves, Reds and Giants.
There are examples of NFL stars winning two awards in one year. Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning and Cam Newton are a few examples of players that won regular-season MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in the same season.
Arguably the most impressive instance of a dual-award winner in NFL history came in 1981, when a 22-year-old Lawrence Taylor won both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in his inaugural pro season with the Giants.
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With regard to Hunter, he’s no stranger to winning more than one award in a year.
In his final college season at Colorado, he won the Heisman Trophy, AP College Football Player of the Year, Walter Camp Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Fred Biletnikoff Award, Lott Trophy and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 TDs last season, and also racked up 36 combined tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended.
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