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Patriots Assistant Had Lofty Praise For Travis Hunter Ahead Of 2025 Nf

Bonisiwe Shabane
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patriots assistant had lofty praise for travis hunter ahead of 2025 nf

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 New England Patriots remain in desperate need of talent at the wide receiver position, and they may have a shot to land Travis Hunter in the upcoming NFL Draft. Many teams project that Hunter will be a full-time defensive back at the professional level, but is that how the Patriots view it? According to Karen Guregian of MassLive.com, the Patriots view Hunter as both the best defensive back and best wide receiver in the draft. That is significant, as New England only has a real need at one of those two positions.

Christian Gonzalez is the Patriots’ top cornerback and has been one of the lone bright spots for the team over the past two seasons. The Pats also signed Carlton Davis to a 3-year, $60 million deal this offseason, so they should have one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL next year. Wide receiver is a much, much different story. The Patriots tried to sign Chris Godwin before he opted to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There have been reports that New England offered Godwin far more money than the veteran took from the Bucs. Tee Higgins was another potential target for the Patriots this offseason, but he signed a long-term deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

The New England Patriots are sitting in an enviable spot heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. They hold the fourth overall pick, and—unlike the three teams in front of them—aren’t desperate for a quarterback. That alone makes Colorado’s Travis Hunter very much in play. He’s been a dream target for New England all offseason. Hunter is the kind of generational prospect who rarely comes around. He’s not just elite at one position—he’s elite at two.

In 2024 alone, he logged 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns while also locking down receivers as a top-tier cornerback. His 1,552 total snaps were the most by any player in college football. And somehow, there was no drop-off in performance on either side of the ball. He's a hardware collector: Hunter is a two-time All-American, Heisman Trophy winner, and Biletnikoff Award winner (nation's top wide receiver). For good measure, he also won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year... so yeah, he can more than hold his own on both ends.

Still, there are skeptics. Traditional evaluators question whether any player can truly succeed both ways at the NFL level. Hunter has now answered that doubt with a not-so-subtle ultimatum. New England Sports Network host Travis Thomas has explained his belief that the New England Patriots must draft Colorado Buffaloes star dual-threat player Travis Hunter if he falls to them in next year’s draft. While discussing the 2025 NFL Draft on the Foxboro Rush show, the possibility of trading down or drafting an offensive lineman was floated around by the other co-hosts. In response, Thomas gave a bold statement on the matter.

The Patriots have shown improvement since rookie quarterback Drake Maye took over the offense. However, the once-dominant franchise still needs drastic development on both sides of the ball. In the previously mentioned video released to X (formerly known as Twitter), Thomas explained how there was no way the Patriots should overlook Hunter should he fall to them in the draft. “If they pick 3rd and Travis Hunter is on the board and they don’t take him, I’m blaming you,” he stated. He also referenced how no other situation, whether that be trading down the order or drafting some other position, would be sufficient if Hunter is on the board and available. 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... Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections. The Patriots seem to be pretty big fans of Travis Hunter. New England has the reigning Heisman winner and two-way Colorado star rated as the No. 1 wide receiver and No.

1 cornerback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, MassLive reported. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the Patriots have Hunter highly-rated on their big board as the NFL Scouting Combine takes place. The vast majority of mock drafts have Hunter as a top-five pick in the upcoming draft, citing his prowess on both sides of the ball as a reason why he’s expected to be a... It's an interesting class of prospects for the New England Patriots to unpack for this NFL draft cycle, and it's one the team will surely be doing their due diligence on with their fourth-overall... But the most interesting name within the class could very well be Travis Hunter –– the Colorado receiver-corner Heisman winner who's right within contention to be the number one pick and could be right... New England needs a jolt of blue-chip talent on the roster wherever they can find it, and Hunter could be the perfect prospect to do so.

And in the initial stages of the pre-draft process this offseason, New England has seemingly taken notice of Hunter and his elite status within this class. MassLive reported some internal feelings in the Patriots building around the Colorado product, and the reviews are nothing short of positive. "Defensively, the Patriots believe the best cornerback in the draft is — Travis Hunter. Offensively, the Patriots believe the best wideout in the draft is — Travis Hunter. Whether the two-way Heisman winner is still on the board at No. 4 is a different question."

Hunter has been long-viewed as one of the best talents in this class, but the verdict of where he could end up on draft boards has remained uncertain based on his unique skillset. Yet, it seems the Patriots love what the one-of-a-kind athlete provides, and would presumably be pleased to end up with him at fourth overall. The NFL Combine provides teams with an up-close and personal look at the incoming class of rookies. They can see them perform drills to evaluate their athleticism in more specific detail and meet with them one-on-one to get a better feel for their personalities. When you're a team in the top-5 picks of the first round, like the Patriots, those meetings are crucial in deciding who the best player would be to select when you're finally on the... For the most part, their choices have consistently revolved around the same few names since before the offseason even began.

The most popular player the Patriots have been connected to in recent months has been Colorado's dual-threat Travis Hunter, who played 100% of defensive and offensive snaps during his college career as a cornerback... He would be an excellent player to add to their roster, as he would immediately address two weaker positions on the team and be available to them at No. 4. Hunter will inevitably be a primary focus on fan's radar over the next week, which is partly why Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf was explicitly asked about him while meeting with... Unsurprisingly, he had nothing but positive things to say about the Heisman Trophy winner.

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