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Patriots Predicted To Pass On Colorado S Travis Hunter In Latest Mock

Bonisiwe Shabane
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patriots predicted to pass on colorado s travis hunter in latest mock

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 badly need a long-term No. 1 wide receiver to pair with young franchise quarterback Drake Maye. That is one area that they are expected to target aggressively during the upcoming NFL offseason. With that in mind, the Patriots are expected to have a very high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Right now, they are projected to have the No. 3 pick if the season ended today.

Of course, there is one player at the top of the draft that every fan in New England would love to see the franchise get. That player is none other than Colorado Buffaloes superstar Travis Hunter. If the Patriots do end up getting the No. 3 overall pick, they could end up having a shot at Hunter. At the top of the draft, there is a chance that two quarterbacks would be taken back to back. In that scenario, New England would have the chance to select Hunter.

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. Phil Perry is sharing the buzz he’s hearing about Travis Hunter at the NFL Combine on the latest Next Pats Podcast. The New England Patriots badly need a No. 1 wide receiver for quarterback Drake Maye to target next season and well into the future. The lack of a dominant player at this position has been a roster weakness in New England for several years now, and until it's fixed, neither Maye nor the offense as a whole will... The 2025 NFL draft class is pretty weak at wide receiver.

We saw three wideouts drafted in the top 10 last season. We might see only three taken in the entire first round this year. Subscribe to NBC Sports Boston's podcast network to hear our Insiders bring you the latest insights on your favorite teams! It is officially mock draft season, even if the actual draft isn't for another four months, and there are still three games left to be played this year. It has become the focus for most Patriots fans, as the 2024 season is as disappointing, if not more so, than last, with the only silver lining being another projected top-5 selection. Because they already have their quarterback in Drake Maye, having that high of a pick opens many opportunities for the team to explore, starting with sticking and picking the best non-quarterback prospect of the...

Who that could be continues to change as the weeks pass, but a pattern is starting to show that the the players most favored to land in New England are on offense. For a while, it had been Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan, but that has since shifted to Colorado dual threat Travis Hunter. Hunter is now the odds-on favorite, as he is considered the best overall prospect for this year's class regardless of position. He would be the first player the Patriots drafted to win the Heisman Trophy, and he provides a solution to two of their most vulnerable positions heading into the 2025 offseason: receiver and cornerback. "What a boon this would be for the Patriots, landing Hunter at No. 3 overall to give the offense a dynamic receiving option who doubles as a sticky, instinctive cornerback."

The New England Patriots have a lot of problems to fix on their roster. Fortunately for them, there’s a draft option that can help patch multiple holes with one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. In his latest mock draft, ESPN analyst Jordan Reid predicted that the Patriots would land Colorado’s Travis Hunter with the No. 4 overall pick. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is a unique prospect who played both wide receiver and cornerback at an elite level last year. Reid thinks the world of Hunter, and laid out a plan where the two-way player could help solve a lot of problems quickly.

“Hunter is my top player in this class and a rare prospect, even beyond his two-way ability,” Reid wrote. “His spatial awareness, quickness and ball skills are unique no matter where he plays. I’d put Hunter full time at corner and sprinkle in 20-25 plays a game at receiver. The Patriots need to stack talent, and Hunter gives them an A+ start in that quest.” In his projection, Reid had quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders going with the first two picks. He then had Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter going at No.

3. Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections. A rebuilding Patriots roster has several areas on the depth chart to shore up if New England wants to reassert itself as a contender in 2025 and beyond. For most of the 2024 season, the conduit of Patriots fans’ consternation has been a porous offensive line. Through six games, New England has relinquished 23 sacks — limiting how much time Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett have had to scan the field and operate in the pocket.

As unflashy as it might be, a franchise left tackle might sit atop Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo’s wish list when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft. At this point in the season, it can be said that the New England Patriots are lacking when it comes to offense. Next year can be a different story if they manage to pick Colorado Buffaloes’ Travis Hunter in the draft, as detailed in ESPN’s latest NFL analysis Just recently, the Patriots’ subpar performance on the field was shown in a match against the Jacksonville Jaguars and suffered a disappointing 32-16 loss in London. The defeat prompted harsh criticism from Jerod Mayo, who labeled the team as “soft.” This latest setback has left fans questioning just how much lower the team can sink as they struggle through a... Despite the grim outcome, there were some highlights.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his potential with an impressive opening drive that resulted in the Patriots’ first touchdown. However, the team’s overall performance fell apart, particularly in the second quarter when they allowed the Jaguars to dominate both offensively and defensively. The Jaguars amassed 171 rushing yards, running the ball effectively on 39 attempts, while the Patriots managed only 38 rushing yards on 15 carries. This inability to stop the run has been a recurring issue for New England. Additionally, their struggles on third downs continued, as Jacksonville converted six of ten attempts, including a lengthy 17-play drive that consumed valuable clock time. Maye’s promising plays were overshadowed by the team’s persistent lack of discipline, resulting in seven penalties that disrupted their momentum.

As the Patriots head back home, they face the reality of needing significant improvements both in strategy and execution if they hope to turn their season around. The road ahead looks challenging, and fans are left hoping for a turnaround in the coming weeks.

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