Here are five things to know about 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter Jr.
Colorado star Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy this past weekend as college football's most outstanding player, and he's No. 1 on many prospect rankings ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter is a rare player. He starred as both a wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado. Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a wideout, while also tallying 21 solo tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions as a cornerback.
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Playing both sides of the ball in the NFL would be extremely difficult. So, which position might he play more time at in the pros?
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FOX Sports' NFL insider Jay Glazer conducted a poll of 13 head coaches and general managers, and almost all of them came to the same conclusion.
"It was overwhelmingly cornerback," Glazer said on FOX Sports' pregame show Sunday. "The one GM who would put him at wide receiver, the reason why was elite ball skills. Everyone else said cornerback. Why? Elite ball skills. But they said it's just so hard to find a shutdown cornerback like that.
"However, they all said, even though we'd start him at cornerback, we'd definitely find packages and plays for him on the offensive side of the ball."
Yesterday for #FOXNFLSunday @NFLonFOX, I polled 13 head coaches and GMs where they’d play Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, 12 of 13 said cornerback with packages on offense, one added would try him at punt returner too. The one who said WR cited elite ball skills. The ones… pic.twitter.com/woh317o7hX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 16, 2024
The New England Patriots currently own the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft after losing to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the first two picks are quarterbacks, the Patriots would have a chance to draft Hunter at No. 3 overall in the first round.
Two of the Patriots' most glaring roster needs in the offseason will be wide receiver and cornerback. They have to get a true No. 1 wideout who can be a threat outside the numbers and deep down the field. Finding another excellent cornerback to put opposite Christian Gonzalez should be a priority, too. Hunter could fill either of those roles in New England.
A lot of experts have projected Hunter going to the Patriots in recent mock drafts, including ESPN's Field Yates. Here's what he wrote about Hunter and the Patriots in his latest mock draft published last week:
"The most electric player in the class and top-ranked prospect on my board, Hunter offers difference-making ability on both sides of the ball. He has rare acceleration and high-end playmaking traits as a receiver, but I also see lockdown cover skills -- including elite ball skills and instincts -- as a cornerback. Consider that he not only is sixth in receiving yards (1,152) and second in TD catches (14) on offense but also has four interceptions and 10 pass breakups on defense.
"The Patriots have a significant need at left tackle, so targeting someone such as Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. is at least a conversation. But once factoring in holes at receiver and the cornerback spot opposite of Christian Gonzalez, Hunter is too good to pass up."
Wide receiver and left tackle are the two most prominent positions often discussed when analyzing what the Patriots should do in the first round of the 2025 draft. Those positions are extremely important, but given the lackluster performance of the Patriots defense all season, and especially over the last four games, it might make the most sense for New England to target a potential defensive star like Hunter in Round 1.
