What position will Hunter play in the NFL? Glazer reveals that the front office survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Colorado star Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last weekend as college football’s Most Outstanding Player, and he is No. 1 on many prospect rankings ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter is a rare player. He played both wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado. Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a wideout, while also recording 21 solo tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions as a cornerback.
Playing both sides of the ball in the NFL would be extremely difficult. So which position could he play more time in the pros?
FOX Sports’ NFL insider Jay Glazer polled thirteen head coaches and general managers, and almost all of them came to the same conclusion.
“It was predominantly cornerback,” Glazer said on FOX Sports’ pregame show on Sunday. “The only GM who put him at wide receiver, the reason for that was his 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 .
“But they all said even if we started him at cornerback, we would definitely find opportunities for him and play on the offensive side of the ball.”
Yesterday before #FOXNFLSunday @NFLonFOXI polled 13 head coaches and GMs on where they would play Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, 12 of the 13 said cornerback with packages on offense, one added he would also try him as a punt returner. Whoever said WR mentioned elite ball skills. Those… pic.twitter.com/woh317o7hX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 16, 2024
The New England Patriots are currently 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 in the first round.
Two of the Patriots’ most glaring roster needs this offseason are wide receiver and cornerback. They need to get a true No. 1 wideout who can be a threat beyond the numbers and deep down the field. Finding another excellent cornerback to line up opposite Christian Gonzalez should also be a priority. Hunter could fill both roles in New England.
Many experts have predicted 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 draft published last week:
“The most electric player in his class and the top-ranked player on my board, Hunter offers the ability to make a difference on both sides of the ball. He has rare acceleration and high-end playing attributes as a receiver, but I also see coverage for lockdown skills – including elite ball skills and instincts – as a cornerback. Consider that he is not only sixth in receiving yards (1,152) and second in TD catches (14) on offense, but also has four interceptions and ten. has pass breakups on defense.
“The Patriots have a dire need at left tackle, so targeting someone like Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. is at least a conversation piece. But once you factor in the holes at receiver and the cornerback spot opposite 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 Patriots’ lackluster performance- defense all season, and especially over the final four games, it might make the most sense for New England to target a potential defensive star like Hunter in Round 1.
