Colorado star Travis Hunter received the Heisman Trophy this previous weekend as faculty soccer’s most excellent participant, and he is No. 1 on many prospect rankings forward of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter is a uncommon participant. He starred as each a large receiver and cornerback for Colorado. Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a wideout, whereas additionally tallying 21 solo tackles, 11 cross breakups and 4 interceptions as a cornerback.
Enjoying each side of the ball within the NFL can be extraordinarily tough. So, which place would possibly he play extra time at within the professionals?
FOX Sports activities’ NFL insider Jay Glazer performed a ballot of 13 head coaches and normal managers, and virtually all of them got here to the identical conclusion.
“It was overwhelmingly cornerback,” Glazer mentioned on FOX Sports activities’ pregame present Sunday. “The one GM who would put him at broad receiver, the rationale why was elite ball expertise. Everybody else mentioned cornerback. Why? Elite ball expertise. However they mentioned it is simply so arduous to discover a shutdown cornerback like that.
“Nonetheless, all of them mentioned, though we might begin him at cornerback, we might undoubtedly discover packages and performs for him on the offensive aspect of the ball.”
Yesterday for #FOXNFLSunday @NFLonFOX, I polled 13 head coaches and GMs the place they’d play Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, 12 of 13 mentioned cornerback with packages on offense, one added would strive him at punt returner too. The one who mentioned WR cited elite ball expertise. Those… pic.twitter.com/woh317o7hX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 16, 2024
The New England Patriots at the moment personal the No. 3 decide within the 2025 draft after dropping to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the primary two picks are quarterbacks, the Patriots would have an opportunity to draft Hunter at No. 3 total within the first spherical.
Two of the Patriots’ most evident roster wants within the offseason can be broad receiver and cornerback. They need to get a real No. 1 wideout who is usually a risk exterior the numbers and deep down the sector. Discovering one other glorious cornerback to place reverse Christian Gonzalez must be a precedence, too. Hunter might fill both of these roles in New England.
Quite a lot of specialists have projected Hunter going to the Patriots in recent mock drafts, together with ESPN’s Discipline Yates. Here is what he wrote about Hunter and the Patriots in his latest mock draft published last week:
“Probably the most electrical participant within the class and top-ranked prospect on my board, Hunter presents difference-making skill on each side of the ball. He has uncommon acceleration and high-end playmaking traits as a receiver, however I additionally see lockdown cowl expertise — together with elite ball expertise and instincts — as a cornerback. Take into account that he not solely is sixth in receiving yards (1,152) and second in TD catches (14) on offense but in addition has 4 interceptions and 10 cross breakups on protection.
“The Patriots have a big want at left sort out, so concentrating on somebody akin to Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. is at the least a dialog. However as soon as factoring in holes at receiver and the cornerback spot reverse of Christian Gonzalez, Hunter is simply too good to cross up.”
Vast receiver and left sort out are the 2 most distinguished positions usually mentioned when analyzing what the Patriots ought to do within the first spherical of the 2025 draft. These positions are extraordinarily necessary, however given the lackluster efficiency of the Patriots protection all season, and particularly over the past 4 video games, it’d take advantage of sense for New England to focus on a possible defensive star like Hunter in Spherical 1.
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