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With the draft a week away, Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter could be headed to the Browns at No. 2 overall.
While General Manager Andrew Berry told reporters in his Thursday pre-draft press conference that no final decisions have been made, Berry was nevertheless peppered with questions about Hunter and his unique ability to play on offense and defense.
While Berry again noted that he envisions receiver as Hunter's primary position, the G.M. didn't seem to have any concern about Hunter potentially playing defense, too.
"So I think one of the things that is, like you can’t probably fully appreciate until you see Travis play live, is just his elite conditioning," Berry said. "Going out and seeing him play at Colorado, he really never comes off the field. And it’s unbelievable because there are more plays in a college game than there is a pro game. And it’s like, the guy — he barely pants. … So, it’s quite incredible.
"That being said, 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. We would want to be smart in terms of how we started him out."
Part of that is having Hunter's "first home" as being a receiver.
"I think one of the big things that he brings, is he has a number of rare qualities, but probably the rarest is his ability with the ball — his ball skills," Berry said. "And we would want to put him in a position that maximized that ability."
Berry also doesn't think Hunter must play both ways in order to be worthy of the No. 2 overall pick.
"I don’t see it that way. I think it’s — and I’m going to use a [cross-sport analogy] now — it’s a little bit like Ohtani, right?" Berry said. "Where he’s playing one side, he’s an outstanding player. If he’s a pitcher or he’s a hitter, he’s an outstanding player. You obviously get a unicorn if you use him both ways."
The other aspect any team that drafts Hunter must figure out is how he splits his time in meetings. That's something quarterback Joe Flacco brought up for what could be a challenge as Hunter enters the league.
"I guess without getting into too much of the specific planning because he’s not here, we haven’t made a decision," Berry said. "But that’s something that’s also unique, and it’s something that, like I said, every team across the league would have to figure out."
At this point, it seems as if it's Cleveland that will have the opportunity to figure out the best way to maximize Hunter's talents.
Continue reading...
While General Manager Andrew Berry told reporters in his Thursday pre-draft press conference that no final decisions have been made, Berry was nevertheless peppered with questions about Hunter and his unique ability to play on offense and defense.
While Berry again noted that he envisions receiver as Hunter's primary position, the G.M. didn't seem to have any concern about Hunter potentially playing defense, too.
"So I think one of the things that is, like you can’t probably fully appreciate until you see Travis play live, is just his elite conditioning," Berry said. "Going out and seeing him play at Colorado, he really never comes off the field. And it’s unbelievable because there are more plays in a college game than there is a pro game. And it’s like, the guy — he barely pants. … So, it’s quite incredible.
"That being said, 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. We would want to be smart in terms of how we started him out."
Part of that is having Hunter's "first home" as being a receiver.
"I think one of the big things that he brings, is he has a number of rare qualities, but probably the rarest is his ability with the ball — his ball skills," Berry said. "And we would want to put him in a position that maximized that ability."
Berry also doesn't think Hunter must play both ways in order to be worthy of the No. 2 overall pick.
"I don’t see it that way. I think it’s — and I’m going to use a [cross-sport analogy] now — it’s a little bit like Ohtani, right?" Berry said. "Where he’s playing one side, he’s an outstanding player. If he’s a pitcher or he’s a hitter, he’s an outstanding player. You obviously get a unicorn if you use him both ways."
The other aspect any team that drafts Hunter must figure out is how he splits his time in meetings. That's something quarterback Joe Flacco brought up for what could be a challenge as Hunter enters the league.
"I guess without getting into too much of the specific planning because he’s not here, we haven’t made a decision," Berry said. "But that’s something that’s also unique, and it’s something that, like I said, every team across the league would have to figure out."
At this point, it seems as if it's Cleveland that will have the opportunity to figure out the best way to maximize Hunter's talents.
Continue reading...
