NFL Draft: Browns GM compares ‘unicorn’ Travis Hunter to Shohei Ohtani

Shedeur Sanders drew Daniel Jones comparisons from Colorado’s offensive coordinator. His teammate Travis Hunter may be happier with the one he received from Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

Berry was asked at a pre-draft news conference whether Hunter would be worth the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if he didn’t become a two-way star at the NFL level.

Berry evoked the name of two-way Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani while explaining Hunter’s upside at both positions.

‘It’s a little bit like Ohtani. If he’s a pitcher or he’s a hitter, he’s an outstanding player,’ Berry explained, in reference to Hunter. ‘You obviously get a unicorn if you use him both ways.’

Hunter won the 2024 Heisman Trophy after starring at both receiver and cornerback for Colorado. He has stated he would rather retire than limit himself to playing one side of the ball at the NFL level, so it appears the 21-year-old will get a chance to prove himself at both positions.

Still, Berry made it clear the Browns view Hunter’s best position as receiver and cornerback as his ‘second home.’ That said, the general manager was also clear that Cleveland wouldn’t limit him to one side of the ball if they selected him.

‘What he would attempt to do has not really been done in our league,’ Berry said. ‘But we wouldn’t necessarily put a cap or a governor in terms of what he could do. We would want to be smart in terms of how we would start him out.’

What would being smart look like? Berry conceded it would be a learning process, even if Hunter could handle a larger snap share than expected since his contact would be minimized playing on the perimeter.

‘It’s something that 32 teams are would have to figure out as they think through his profile,’ Berry said of Hunter. ‘There would probably be some learning on the fly if he were here.’

The Browns have been increasingly tied to Hunter ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. He is presently expected to be the team’s pick at No. 2 overall, so it may fall on Kevin Stefanski and his staff to figure out the best way to use the talented top prospect.