Travis Hunter stepped up to the podium Thursday morning for what was the most crowded media session of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine so far. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt, standard issue for the more than 300 prospects gathered in Indianapolis. Each one has a number and position printed in purple. Hunter's is emblazoned with "15" and "DB."

Don't read into it, though. The past and future football story of the two-way Heisman Trophy winner can't be told in two letters, and that's what he is telling NFL teams this week.

"I'm going to play both," Hunter said. "That's not my job to figure it out. I like to play both sides of the ball. If they give me the opportunity to both sides of the ball, I'll play both sides."

Hunter is one of the top prospects in the draft after perhaps the most-decorated run in college football history. Hunter won the Heisman, Walter Camp, AP, and Sporting News National Player of the Year Awards, the Bednarik and Lott IMPACT Trophy for national defensive player of the year, the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player (first repeat winner), and the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver.

That also puts him in play for the Giants, who pick third overall and need help on both sides of the ball.

"I definitely feel like I stamped myself [in college football history]," Hunter said. "I have some of the top awards and the biggest award in college football."

Hunter added: "I've got my own unique play style. I play both sides of the ball. Not that many people in the NFL have done it."

Hunter finished last season ranked in the top five in college football in receptions (94), receiving yards (1,258), and receiving touchdowns (15) on offense, and interceptions (four) and passes defended (15) on defense. He led the nation with 1,483 plays during the season – 714 on offense, 748 on defense, and 21 on special teams – plus 65 more that were called back due to penalties for 1,548 overall snaps.

"Nobody has done it [in the NFL], but I feel like I've put my body through a lot," Hunter said. "I do a lot of treatment. People don't get to see that part, what I do for my body to make sure that I'm 100 percent each game. But I feel like I can do it because nobody has done it. I know I can do it. I did it at the college level, [where] we rarely get breaks. There's a lot more breaks in the NFL."

Hunter has a regiment of cold tubs, hot tubs, cryotherapy chambers, and red-light therapy to keep his body right. Another key component, he said, is much simpler. He credits just getting up and walking around all day.

"I didn't have load management in Colorado," Hunter said. "Coach Prime [Deion Sanders] pretty much let me do what I felt was right for my body. I'm the only person who knows what's right for my body. I did a lot of treatment, a lot of training. I always woke up early to get to where I needed to be."

For the mental aspect of playing both positions, Hunter said he studied extra and spent a lot of time in the coaches' offices "when nobody else was there."

These are all stories that Hunter is sharing with NFL coaches and general managers this week in Indianapolis. They will ultimately decide how to use his rare talent.

"I did some meetings at receiver; I did some meetings at DB," Hunter said. "So, it's still up in the air."

What is his sales pitch for teams that might be skeptical about his two-way ability at the next level?

"They say nobody has ever done it for real the way I do it, but I tell them that I'm just different," Hunter said. "I'm a different person."

Hunter admitted he would try to push back if a team said he would play only one side of the ball.

"Yeah, I would hope for them to let me go out there and earn the other position," he said. "But It's up to them, not me."

One thing is certain, though. Hunter doesn't envision playing in the third phase of the game.

"I don't know about returning," he said. "I've already got two jobs on my hand."

Meanwhile, teams will also have questions about his quarterback. Hunter believes Shedeur Sanders is the best quarterback in the draft because of his accuracy and love for the game.

"We're competitive," Hunter said. "We want to see each other win. We are probably the most hard on each other because we know what we can do and we know what type of players we are."

The last competition will be who possibly goes No. 1 overall.

"It's super important," Hunter said. "It was one of my dreams to go No. 1 and be the best I can be."