Raiders LB Roberts Weighs In on Travis Hunter's NFL Abilities - suong

New Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts knows what it’s like to play both sides of the ball in the NFL. 

When he was with the New England Patriots, Roberts played linebacker and fullback. He said it helped him learn a lot about the game at the professional level. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Colorado star Travis Hunter, who played on both sides of the ball at a high level for the Buffaloes en route to a Heisman Trophy. 

Hunter has maintained that he wants to play cornerback and wide receiver at the next level.

Does Roberts think Hunter can do it? 

“I hope he can do it,” Roberts said on the latest episode of Maxx Crosby’s podcast, The Rush. “I think it’s very bold of him to seek that type of goal. You just see his dog and how his mentality is. I hope it works out for him. But I know if he does decide to go all offense or all defense, with his grind and his demeanor and his competitiveness, if he does decide to go to either side, that he’s going to be a dog at either position.” 

Crosby has a suggestion for how Jacksonville can use Hunter efficiently. 

“Make him lock in on one side,” he said. “‘You’re going to be a starter here, but we’re going to have some packages for you on defense or offense, whatever it is, and just keep it simple. You’re going to go in, these are your plays, boom, know these plays, and go out there.’ 

If you just try to dump all the information on him at one time, that just seems unfair to the player, and I don’t think coaches are stupid. They’re going to do their best to protect their asset. It’s a business at the end of the day. You have to have him out there for the duration of a full season. So, it will be interesting.”

The Raiders take on the Jaguars at home in Week 9, so Roberts and Crosby will deal with the receiver version of Hunter, while Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers will see the defensive back version. 

Raider Nation won’t want to miss that game, as Hunter is must-see TV. 

You can watch the full podcast episode with Crosby and Roberts here.