The Cleveland Browns have an opportunity to draft a transcendent player with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft next week.
Amidst plenty of rumors linking the franchise to Colorado Buffaloes' two-way star Travis Hunter, general manager Andrew Berry gushed about the Heisman winner in his pre-draft press conference Thursday.
Hunter's ability to play both offense and defense is something Berry believes can change the sport, similarly to superstar Shohei Ohtani in Major League Baseball.
“I think it's, and I'm going to use a cross sports [comp], it's a little bit like Ohtani, right?," Berr said. "When he's playing one side, he's an outstanding player. If he's a pitcher, if he is a hitter, he is an outstanding player. You obviously get a unicorn if you use him both ways.”
In today's day and age, playing both ways is a rare and almost impossible feat. It would be impressive if Hunter can pull it off, but also comes with some challenges of managing snaps and therefore hits to ensure his career isn't derailed by injuries.
Regardless of those logistical hurdles, Hunter seems adamant about playing both cornerback and wide receiver in the pros, and Berry seems receptive to making that happen in some capacity.
"What he would attempt to do has not really been done in our league, but we wouldn't necessarily put a cap or a governor in terms of what he could do," said Berry. "We would want to be smart in terms of how we started him out. I think I've mentioned before we would see his first home as receiver and his second home on defense.”
Clearly, the Browns brass have already thought through how they would utilize the "unicorn" that is Hunter, which should only add fuel to the fire to the idea that he's their pick at No. 2 next week.
