Mel Kiper Jr. is high on Colorado's Travis Hunter.

During an appearance on ESPN's First Draft, the NFL Draft analyst said that Hunter was the best player in the draft and compared him to Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey.

"Travis Hunter to me is the best player," Kiper said. "You think about what Champ Bailey was 25 years ago. Champ Bailey came out of Georgia and did everything for the Bulldogs. Offense, defense, everything and he was a great corner, a Hall of Fame corner. Travis Hunter does everything at Colorado, he lights up the scoreboard and he prevents the scoreboard from being lit up."

Kiper also said that Hunter should be a receiver in the NFL and should be the first non-quarterback selected.

Bailey was a two-way player in college, like Hunter, and had 978 career receiving yards and five touchdowns for Georgia in addition to his dominant play on defense. He would go on to play in 15 NFL seasons, making 12 Pro Bowls and making 52 career interceptions with four touchdowns.

Hunter is already close to Bailey's collegiate offensive stats, and he has only played 10 games at the FBS level. He had 57 catches for 721 yards and five touchdowns in nine games in 2023 and chipped in three interceptions and 30 tackles on defense.

Through one game in 2024, Hunter has seven catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns on offense and three tackles on defense. He is a catalyst for a Colorado team that hopes to improve in 2024 and could be a desirable asset for an NFL team in the spring.

Even if he were to fully commit to offense in the NFL, his background on defense could allow him to help out if needed. More importantly, it will give him a different approach to the position from his peers.

A cornerback has never been selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and a receiver hasn't been picked first since 1996. Hunter could end that drought in the Spring, but a strong 2024 season and the right franchise will need to align for that to occur.