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Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter is one of the best athletes in the 2025 NFL draft class. Almost every team could use his talent on their roster, but which teams are the best landing spots?
Hunter's profile as a draft prospect is unique. Unlike the hundreds of other draft hopefuls committed to their primary position, Hunter is an above-average talent at wide receiver and cornerback. That means the teams best suited to draft the Heisman Trophy winner are those with big needs at either position – or both.
The Colorado product's athleticism and talent at both positions also means he won't fall far in the draft. As a result, Hunter's best landing spots are exclusively teams picking early in the 2025 NFL draft.
2025 NFL MOCK DRAFT: Comparing Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper's post-free agency predictions
The following four teams would be best suited drafting Hunter in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Patriots are the best landing spot for Hunter because they're a team in need of help at both wide receiver and cornerback. One year after drafting quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick, New England has spent the 2025 offseason taking advantage of their salary cap space. The Patriots' window of contention appears to be opening with a talented young quarterback on the roster, and the team has spent the second-most money of any team in free agency to build up around Maye.
Despite that fact, there are still significant roster holes at both positions Hunter plays. No Patriots wide receiver surpassed 650 yards last year, and the team finished third-worst in dropback EPA/play allowed.
The Patriots are in a spot to draft the Heisman winner with the No. 4 overall pick. They then would have the choice of deploying him as either a top receiving option or one of their starting cornerbacks alongside Christian Gonzalez. Drafting Hunter would significantly improve New England's talent on either side (or maybe both sides?) of the ball and further open its contention window.
New York is in a weird spot in the 2025 NFL draft. The Giants are one of the teams most in need of a new franchise quarterback, but they own the No. 3 pick and are stuck behind two other teams most in need of a new franchise quarterback. Last year that would not have been a big issue, given that so many talented quarterbacks were in the draft class. This year, only two quarterbacks in the class are a consensus first-round pick.
That may leave the Giants in a spot where they need to take the best player available. Fortunately for them, Hunter is a player who can fill a major need.
New York's dropback EPA/play allowed was only marginally better than New England's despite featuring a solid pass-rush plan with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. On offense, only one receiver surpassed 700 yards: Malik Nabers with 1,204.
The Giants have already signed cornerback Paulson Adebo in free agency and have a No. 1 receiving threat on offense. However, Hunter would significantly improve the second option on either side of the ball and be the best player available if the first two quarterbacks are taken before the G-Men are on the clock.
Many NFL analysts have expressed their belief that Tennessee will hold onto the No. 1 overall pick and draft quarterback Cam Ward. However, the Titans have a couple of quarterbacks on their roster with starting experience and have other areas of need.
Calvin Ridley was the only pass-catcher on the Titans' roster to surpass 500 receiving yards in 2024. Following the departure of receiver DeAndre Hopkins via trade to the Chiefs, the passing offense was almost completely reliant on Ridley. Now, not even No. 2 option Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is around to score long touchdowns after he signed a new deal with the Dolphins.
Defensively, Tennessee's investment in acquiring and then extending L'Jarius Sneed has panned out poorly. Sneed played in just five games before a quad injury kept him out for the remainder of the year. Even before that, the former Chiefs cornerback managed to be the worst-ranked player at his position by PFF grade (36.3) of the 104 cornerbacks with at least 100 snaps. The mark was also the fourth-worst of all defensive players.
Hunter's capabilities as a wide receiver and cornerback are clear fits in Tennessee. Even though head coach Brian Callahan said he'd have Hunter focus on playing cornerback, there's a clear spot to contribute on offense. Ultimately, the team's desire for a quarterback may come first.
The Browns are among the teams in a good position to draft Hunter but are one of the least likely to do so. At the top of Cleveland's list of draft needs is a quarterback. After that, the team might be more likely to draft Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to pair with the recently extended Myles Garrett.
Browns general manager Andrew Barry told reporters at the NFL combine that the team viewed Hunter as a "receiver primarily first." Cleveland traded wide receiver Amari Cooper midway through the season, and there was a notable dropoff in production from Jerry Jeudy to everyone else. If the Browns wanted to draft a receiver to pair with Jeudy in a passing offense led by a to-be-determined veteran quarterback, Hunter would be the best option to do so.
However, unless Cleveland signs a veteran like Aaron Rodgers in the coming month, quarterback is the expectation for the team at No. 2 overall.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travis Hunter landing spots: Which teams should draft Heisman winner
Continue reading...
Hunter's profile as a draft prospect is unique. Unlike the hundreds of other draft hopefuls committed to their primary position, Hunter is an above-average talent at wide receiver and cornerback. That means the teams best suited to draft the Heisman Trophy winner are those with big needs at either position – or both.
The Colorado product's athleticism and talent at both positions also means he won't fall far in the draft. As a result, Hunter's best landing spots are exclusively teams picking early in the 2025 NFL draft.
2025 NFL MOCK DRAFT: Comparing Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper's post-free agency predictions
Travis Hunter landing spots
The following four teams would be best suited drafting Hunter in the 2025 NFL draft.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are the best landing spot for Hunter because they're a team in need of help at both wide receiver and cornerback. One year after drafting quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick, New England has spent the 2025 offseason taking advantage of their salary cap space. The Patriots' window of contention appears to be opening with a talented young quarterback on the roster, and the team has spent the second-most money of any team in free agency to build up around Maye.
Despite that fact, there are still significant roster holes at both positions Hunter plays. No Patriots wide receiver surpassed 650 yards last year, and the team finished third-worst in dropback EPA/play allowed.
The Patriots are in a spot to draft the Heisman winner with the No. 4 overall pick. They then would have the choice of deploying him as either a top receiving option or one of their starting cornerbacks alongside Christian Gonzalez. Drafting Hunter would significantly improve New England's talent on either side (or maybe both sides?) of the ball and further open its contention window.
New York Giants
New York is in a weird spot in the 2025 NFL draft. The Giants are one of the teams most in need of a new franchise quarterback, but they own the No. 3 pick and are stuck behind two other teams most in need of a new franchise quarterback. Last year that would not have been a big issue, given that so many talented quarterbacks were in the draft class. This year, only two quarterbacks in the class are a consensus first-round pick.
That may leave the Giants in a spot where they need to take the best player available. Fortunately for them, Hunter is a player who can fill a major need.
New York's dropback EPA/play allowed was only marginally better than New England's despite featuring a solid pass-rush plan with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. On offense, only one receiver surpassed 700 yards: Malik Nabers with 1,204.
The Giants have already signed cornerback Paulson Adebo in free agency and have a No. 1 receiving threat on offense. However, Hunter would significantly improve the second option on either side of the ball and be the best player available if the first two quarterbacks are taken before the G-Men are on the clock.
Tennessee Titans
Many NFL analysts have expressed their belief that Tennessee will hold onto the No. 1 overall pick and draft quarterback Cam Ward. However, the Titans have a couple of quarterbacks on their roster with starting experience and have other areas of need.
Calvin Ridley was the only pass-catcher on the Titans' roster to surpass 500 receiving yards in 2024. Following the departure of receiver DeAndre Hopkins via trade to the Chiefs, the passing offense was almost completely reliant on Ridley. Now, not even No. 2 option Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is around to score long touchdowns after he signed a new deal with the Dolphins.
Defensively, Tennessee's investment in acquiring and then extending L'Jarius Sneed has panned out poorly. Sneed played in just five games before a quad injury kept him out for the remainder of the year. Even before that, the former Chiefs cornerback managed to be the worst-ranked player at his position by PFF grade (36.3) of the 104 cornerbacks with at least 100 snaps. The mark was also the fourth-worst of all defensive players.
Hunter's capabilities as a wide receiver and cornerback are clear fits in Tennessee. Even though head coach Brian Callahan said he'd have Hunter focus on playing cornerback, there's a clear spot to contribute on offense. Ultimately, the team's desire for a quarterback may come first.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are among the teams in a good position to draft Hunter but are one of the least likely to do so. At the top of Cleveland's list of draft needs is a quarterback. After that, the team might be more likely to draft Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to pair with the recently extended Myles Garrett.
Browns general manager Andrew Barry told reporters at the NFL combine that the team viewed Hunter as a "receiver primarily first." Cleveland traded wide receiver Amari Cooper midway through the season, and there was a notable dropoff in production from Jerry Jeudy to everyone else. If the Browns wanted to draft a receiver to pair with Jeudy in a passing offense led by a to-be-determined veteran quarterback, Hunter would be the best option to do so.
However, unless Cleveland signs a veteran like Aaron Rodgers in the coming month, quarterback is the expectation for the team at No. 2 overall.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travis Hunter landing spots: Which teams should draft Heisman winner
Continue reading...
