The NFL's Ohtani? Browns GM compares Travis Hunter to MLB's superstar

Andrew Berry has often referred to Travis Hunter as a unicorn.

On Thursday, the Browns general manager went one step further and compared the Heisman Trophy winner to reigning National League MVP and baseball two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Many are expecting Tennessee to take Miami QB Cam Ward with the first overall pick, which would put Cleveland in prime position to take Hunter with the second selection.

With many debating whether Hunter would be best used at wide receiver, defensive back or playing both offense and defense, Berry said during his pre-draft news conference on Thursday that it doesn't matter where he lines up.

"It’s a little bit like Ohtani, right? Where 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," Berry said.

Hunter does not get to choose his team like Ohtani did when he first arrived as an MLB hopeful before the 2018 season, a process that guaranteed the Nippon Professional Baseball star the ability to continue on as a two-way player, as he's subject to the NFL Draft. However, Hunter has made his intentions known if a team drafts him and wants him to choose between either wide receiver or cornerback by saying that he'd never play football again were that to happen, which is its own leverage.

Along with the Heisman, Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver and the Bednarik Award as the best defensive player.

[Related: Travis Hunter on if NFL team forces him to play one way ‘Never playing football again’]

Hunter was on the field for 1,462 of Colorado's 1,725 plays from scrimmage last season. He played 714 snaps on offense (86.8% of the Buffaloes plays) and 748 on defense (82.9%).

No other player in the Football Bowl Subdivision played in more than 56% of his team's snaps last season.

Hunter was a first-team selection at cornerback and all-purpose on the Associated Press All-America team as well as second team at wide receiver.

Berry sees Hunter's primary position as wide receiver, where he had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 TD catches last season.

"He has a number of rare qualities, but probably the rarest is his ability with the ball, his ball skills. We would want to put him in a position that maximize that ability," Berry said.

On defense, he had four interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Hunter would be the fourth Heisman Trophy winner drafted by the Browns, joining Charles White, Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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