Could Patriots Draft Travis Hunter At No 4 Overall Latest Nfl Combine

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 4:18 AM

could patriots draft travis hunter at no 4 overall latest nfl combine

Phil Perry is sharing the buzz he’s hearing about Travis Hunter at the NFL Combine on the latest Next Pats Podcast. The consensus on the 2025 NFL Draft class is that there are two "blue chip" prospects in Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. And it's possible the New England Patriots will have the chance to take one of them at No. 4 overall. That's what our Patriots Insider Phil Perry is hearing after speaking to evaluators and others around the league at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. During a new Next Pats Podcast on Wednesday, Perry relayed what he's been told about the top of the draft, and how Hunter specifically could be available to the Patriots at No.

4 if the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants take quarterbacks with the second and third picks, respectively. Subscribe to NBC Sports Boston's podcast network to hear our Insiders bring you the latest insights on your favorite teams! After landing second-year QB Drake Maye last offseason, the Patriots want to surround Maye with the best possible supporting cast. To that end, we could debate whether that means building through the trenches or pairing the second-year quarterback with an elite talent at wide receiver. Although the offensive line and pass-catchers are both critical to building a good offense, high-end wide receivers are one of the most sought-after commodities in the NFL behind only quarterbacks. Based on Pro Football Focus's wins above replacement metric, skill positions such as wide receiver and cornerback are considered the most impactful positions in pro football besides quarterback, speaking to the value of impacting...

Remarkably, a player in this year's draft can play both receiver and corner at a high level. From this perspective, the dream draft scenario for the Patriots is that reigning Heisman winner Travis Hunter falls in New England's laps at the fourth-overall pick. Hunter teaming up with Maye to form a formidable QB-WR duo would be ideal. However, as the draft inches closer, it's getting difficult to envision that scenario happening for the Patriots. At the top of the draft, the Titans seem locked into Miami QB Cam Ward with the number one overall pick. But the Patriots would need the next two picks to be Hunter's college quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, and pass-rusher Abdul Carter to land Hunter.

Currently, Hunter makes sense for both the Browns and Giants, who have premier pass-rushers under lucrative multi-year contracts. New York, who controls the Patriots fate with the third-overall pick, already paid edge rusher Brian Burns and drafted Kayvon Thibodeaux fifth-overall in 2022. If he doesn't go in the first two picks, the Giants feel like a Hunter team. Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter is one of the top prospects in the upcoming NFL draft, and a player the New England Patriots could potentially draft at No. 4 overall. Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing said Thursday that he has enjoyed the time he has been able to spend with Hunter this offseason and detailed what he likes about Hunter as a prospect.

“You see his football IQ and understanding of where he fits in zone concepts. He does a great job of finding a way to get open," Downing said, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. "He’s a very, very talented individual, and I’ve enjoyed the time that I’ve gotten to talk to him.” Downing also shared his perspective on Hunter potentially splitting time with both the wide receivers and cornerbacks. “I think any position coach would look at that situation selfishly and say to get the most out of him and to maximize his potential as a WR, I’d love to have him for... The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching, and teams are starting to decide which positions to target and which players to select.

Front offices need to hit on their picks, especially if they have a high draft selection. The quarterback position is the most crucial in the NFL, but this isn’t the best year to choose one. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the top two quarterbacks in the draft. The four players expected to go in the top four are QB Cam Ward, DL Abdul Carter, QB Shedeur Sanders, and WR/CB Travis Hunter. Tennessee holds the number one overall pick and desperately needs a quarterback. The Titans are expected to select Cam Ward, who is widely regarded as the best QB in the draft and the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, once Ward is picked first, it’s uncertain who might go next among Carter, Sanders, and Hunter. March 24, 2025 / 1:31 PM EDT / CBS Boston The NFL Draft is one month away, and ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss has one target in mind for the New England Patriots with the fourth overall pick: Travis Hunter. Hunter was a dynamic two-way star for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024, making plays as both a wide receiver and a cornerback. In addition to taking home last year's Heisman Trophy, Hunter also earned both the Chuck Bednarik Award (given to the top defensive player in college football) and the Walter Camp Player of the Year... Last year for the Buffaloes, Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense.

He also notched 36 tackles, four interceptions, and 11 passes defended on the defensive side. It's unclear if he'll play both sides of the ball in the NFL, which will likely depend on which team drafts him. The Patriots are also in need of a left tackle, so LSU's Will Campbell Missouri's Armond Membou have been linked to New England in the pre-draft hoopla. But if Hunter is available when the Patriots are scheduled to make the fourth overall selection, Reiss doesn't want to see any hesitation from the organization. The New England Patriots may have missed the playoffs last season, but the future looks bright. They hired Mike Vrabel, have the No.4 overall pick in the NFL Draft and have their franchise quarterback already in place.

Drake Maye was a Pro Bowler in his first season, albeit a replacement. The Patriots can invest the No. 4 pick into another position of need. One of their biggest priorities will be finding a weapon for Maye, but in FOX Sports' latest mock draft the Patriots passed up on Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter who was surprisingly available. In the mock draft, Hunter was available at No. 4 after the Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward, the Cleveland Browns selected Abdul Carter and the New York Giants selected Hunter's University of Colorado teammate Shedeur Sanders.

The mock draft had the Patriots selecting University of Texas' offensive tackle Kelvin Banks. "While New England has several needs to address, the offensive line has to be the most crucial," wrote FOX Sports. "They were one of six teams this past season to have given up 52 sacks, and had the second-lowest pass block efficiency grade in the NFL in 2024 at 80.1, according to Pro Football... This season's Outland Trophy Award winner (given to the nation's best lineman) is a smart choice here." Hunter is a two-way star. He could be an elite pass catcher for Maye while also providing help in the Patriots secondary.

Positional need aside, he may be the best player in the draft. He led his conference in receptions and touchdowns and had 1,258 yards. He did that while also recording four interceptions, 11 passes defended, one forced fumble and 36 tackles as a corner. Passing on Hunter would surely be a question mark, but FOX predicts the Patriots will prioritize protecting Maye. The New England Patriots are three days away from the 2025 NFL Draft, as the franchise is slated to enter Thursday night’s festivities with the No. 4 overall selection and loads of anticipation.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the undisputed most-hyped prospect entering the draft. The 21-year-old is a rare talent with an ability to play wideout and cornerback — at a Heisman Trophy-winning level. On the flip side, Hunter’s ability to play two premier positions poses an interesting question for any organization with a chance at landing him on draft night: Should Hunter be allowed to play both... “I’d let him play both, then just figure out if he can do it,” Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus told NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast. “Cause if he can’t, you can always dial it back, right? I’d almost give him the full buffet of, ‘Show us what you could do with your talent level.’ But for the Patriots specifically, it is a little bit interesting.

I think what you should do with Travis Hunter is play him full-time as a corner, because then you can have a handful of plays where he can play wide receiver for you. I don’t really think you can do that vice-versa.” Sikkema added: “He’s a special player, so I’d probably try it and let it fail before I don’t try it at all.” Hunter isn’t expected to fall to No. 4 once the Patriots are on the clock, even though the slim possibility would likely excite most of the fan base. New England head coach Mike Vrabel has already addressed the hypothetical of Hunter falling to the Patriots and insinuated that the organization would be open to whatever Hunter could handle.

The New England Patriots sit at a very pivotal point of the the 2025 NFL Draft. With the 4th overall pick at their disposal, the Patriots could find themselves in a position where they're the recipient of quarterback hungry teams desperate to move up in the draft order to get... That ‘generational' player may be Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, who is suddenly something of a polarizing prospect due to an injury that may or may not require surgery. It may also be Colorado's Travis Hunter, who teams are still trying to pigeonhole as either a wide receiver or a cornerback, while any smart franchise would know that Hunter's value lies in his... What makes Travis Hunter such a unique, can't miss prospect is not that he's generationally talented as either a wide receiver or a cornerback alone. It's that he could, in theory, be a B+ player at both positions throughout the entirety of his NFL career.

But what's interesting is that new head coach Mike Vrabel and the Patriots are not only intrigued by the total package that Hunter brings to the table. They reportedly view him as the best player at both of those two very important positions. “[The Patriots] consider Travis Hunter the No. 1 corner and the No. 1 wide receiver in this draft.” —@BostonConnr on New England's potential interest in Travis Hunter 👀 (via The @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/a1rANaly9u

Could Patriots Draft Travis Hunter At No 4 Overall Latest Nfl Combine

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