WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A generational draft prospect, Travis Hunter should become a top-5 pick next month.

What happens next is anyone’s guess.

Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy playing wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado, is widely believed to have All-Pro potential at either position in the NFL. But skepticism creeps in when teams and analysts ponder whether Hunter could continue playing offense and defense at the pro level.

Should Hunter fall to the No. 4 overall pick, the Patriots will need a ready-made answer. Speaking Monday morning at the NFL Annual Meeting, first-year coach Mike Vrabel offered some insight into the team’s thinking.

“We’ve never seen a player necessarily do it. I think there’s some things (Hunter) can improve on by probably concentrating on just one position. But (we’re) never going to put any restrictions on Travis or any player,” Vrabel said. “We try as much as they can handle. We’re going to continue to put more on their plate. If he were on our football team, and showed great skill at one position, and started to really do well in his conditioning, and it didn’t fall and didn’t drop (off), we would be open to playing everybody we had at more than one position.”

In a followup answer, Vrabel further indicated the Patriots would start Hunter at one position and then add more if he proved he could handle it.

“I think to improve, I think there has to be a primary focus, just to be able to get some of the details that are going to be required at this league,” he added.” “We’ll see once everybody’s on our football team, where they end of playing, where they start out practicing.”

If the Patriots draft Hunter, it’s likely the 21-year-old would start at wide receiver, given the team’s need at that position and current depth at cornerback. Last season at Colorado, Hunter finished top five in major college football with 96 catches, 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in major college football and was named an All-American for the second straight year.

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On defense, Hunter won the Bednarik Award as the best defender in major college football after collecting a team-high four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. In 2023, he snatched three interceptions over nine games and was named to the All-Pac 12 first team.

Hunter stands at six-feet tall and 188 pounds. He did not run at the Big 12 conference’s Pro Day earlier this month. Colorado is scheduled to hold its Pro Day on April 4, when Hunter may compete.

At the NFL scouting combine, Hunter said he wants to play on both sides of the ball in the NFL.

“They say nobody has ever done it the way that I do it, but I tell them I’m just different. I’m a different person,” Hunter told reporters. “I want to play 100 percent (offensive and defense), but it’s up to the organization.”

The 2024 NFL Draft is set to open Thursday, April 24, at 8 p.m. in Green Bay, Wisconsin.