Playing two ways and doing it at a high level, in baseball and football is incredibly challenging.
But what is more difficult: what shohei ohtani is doing in baseball or which travis hunter is doing in football?
“Probably me what I do in football (is harder) because it’s a lot on your body,” Hunter told journalists at NFL Combine.
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Colorado Defensive Back Travis Hunter (DB15) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Tanner Pearson-Preferred Pictures)
“Ohtani, he’s an amazing player, but you have to do a lot in football.”
In addition to the physical challenges of playing two ways in both sports it takes a lot of further preparation to be able to play both ways.
No one has played two ways full time in the NFL since Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik, who was a linebacker and offensive lineman for Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 to 1962. Hunter’s college coach Deion Sanders also played both sides, but also made his Hall of Fame career as a cornerback.
Ohtani has thrives as a two-way player with both Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers as he has won three MVPs in his seven-year career.
Travis Hunter steadfast in the ability to become successful two -way player in NFL: ‘I’m just different’
Los Angeles Dodgers appointed hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates as he runs the bases for his solo home driving during the ninth lap of a baseball match against Washington Nationals in Nationals Park, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington. Dodgers won 4-1. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Last season, Ohtani did not throw because he was asked for elbow operation, but he still won NL MVP as a designated hitter.
Hunter is firmly by playing both ways in the NFL after thriving on both cornerback and broad recipient in Colorado and won Heisman Trophy in 2024.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I feel I can continue to do so,” he said. “Hopefully they let me go out there 100% (on both), but it’s up to the organization.”
The six-foot, 185-pound Hunter’s game-week routine in Colorado called for early morning growth calls, regular treatment sessions, solo studio sessions to master both gameplans and understand staff and an obligation to keep his body in tip-top form so he could play about 2,500 snaps over the last two seasons.
Colorado Buffaloes wide receives Travis Hunter (12) responding to the victory against Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. (Ron Chenoy-Preferred Pictures)
Sanders has been eager in his belief that Hunter can play both ways in the NFL.
Hunter is not working on Combine in Indianapolis, but said he has interviewed with teams where he has answered questions about both broad recipient and cornerback.
It will be up to the team that draws Hunter to decide how it wants to insert him, as the difficulty is very high to play both ways, so much less to do it at a high level of a 17-game regular season.
