A two-way player in the NFL is extremely rare. A two-way player plays both offense and defense in the same game. Two-way players usually also can return kicks. Deion Sanders is the NFL’s most famous two-way player. Sanders accounted for 270 tackles, five forced fumbles, and 53 interceptions (nine for a TD). On offense, he hauled in 60 catches for 784 yards and three touchdowns. Sanders also has six career kickoff return touchdowns and three punt return touchdowns.
Another two-way player is New England Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown. He compiled 6,366 yards and 31 touchdowns on 557 receptions. Brown also returned three punts for touchdowns in his career. In 2004, Brown started playing cornerback. In his one year as a defensive back, Brown had 17 tackles, five passes defended, and three interceptions. Brown spent his entire 15-year career in New England, winning three Super Bowls.
The most recent example of a true two-way player in the NFL is Patriots’ cornerback, Marcus Jones. In his two-year career, Jones has contributed 44 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions (one for a TD) on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, he has hauled in four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Jones has also returned a punt for an 84-yard game-winning touchdown against the New York Jets.
Everyone knows about Travis Hunter, Colorado’s WR/CB, who will likely be a top-ten draft pick in 2025. Hunter’s career so far has been nothing short of spectacular. But what if I told you that there is a player in this year’s NFL Draft that can play both sides of the ball?
Sione Vaki was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He played wide receiver, safety, and returned kicks in high school. In two years of varsity football, Vaki accounted for 32 receiving touchdowns, nine rushing touchdowns, one kickoff return touchdown, and five interceptions. In 2019, he committed to the University of Utah. Vaki only played two years of college football because he chose to help others on a two-year mission trip for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Vaki played 26 games as the Utes’ primary free safety, accumulating 92 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, five passes defended, and one interception. In 2023, Vaki was called upon to be a running back due to injuries on the team. He ran the ball 42 times for 317 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He also caught 11 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns. In college, Vaki only returned one punt for 16 yards. I first became aware of Vaki in last season’s game against USC. In that game, he had nine rushes for 68 yards, had five catches for 149 yards, and two touchdowns in a 34-32 win over USC.
Vaki’s background as a wide receiver gives him soft, reliable hands, and the ability to run routes. The Utes utilized him on screens (Luke Getsy flashbacks), out routes, and wheel routes. Vaki has great speed for his size, even though his combine results left much to be desired. He is five-foot-eleven and weighs 210 pounds. Vaki’s relative athletic score (RAS) was only 6.98 out of ten. Vaki lacks speed but makes up for it with shiftiness and juke moves. He is familiar with the inside/outside zone run scheme that Shane Waldron employs. Vakie’s main shortcoming is his length. His short arms will make it harder for him to play man coverage at the NFL level. He also isn’t the best tackler. His positional versatility will bump up his draft stock, but he will be a fifth-round pick at best.
The Bears recently signed Kevin Byard to a two-year contract worth 15 million dollars. Vaki could sit behind Byard for two years and learn the ropes while playing special teams and serving as a backup Bears runningback if D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, or Roschon Johnson get hurt. Despite all these things, I don’t think the Bears will draft him.
Vaki isn’t close to Hunter’s talent, but he is still a defensive back with an array of skills that translate to the offensive side of the ball. Vaki could end up being one of the steals of the 2024 NFL Draft.
