“Trade back a Travis Hunter”: $7.4B NFL giant receives clear advice from draft analyst after their free agency mistake
Travis Hunter is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and one of the modern college football greats. Hunter thrived at Jackson State and Colorado as a two-way star for Deion Sanders' coached teams.
Hence, Hunter is viewed as a consensus Top 5 pick in the upcoming draft. Some analysts are even predicting that he'll be off the board as early as the third pick.
In the "We In or We Out" segment on the NFL Network, the panelists discussed Hunter and a variety of topics in an episode posted on their YouTube channel on Tuesday. Show host Kyle Brandt had this to say about the $ 7.3 billion-valued (per Forbes) New England Patriots:
"I think that the Patriots did really well in free agency, and they filled a lot of holes. But they still have two gaping holes, and that's at offensive and wide receiver. The issue with this draft is that there aren't a lot of great offensive tackles or wide receivers."
Peter Schrager had this to say about what the Patriots should do in the draft:
"I would say trade back a Travis Hunter and you need a lot of players, and you need a wide receiver talent. I mean anybody can use a really good corner, why not get both."
He continued,
"I think you have a defensive coach who'll now do everything. Plus there's an offensive coach that'll do many creative things. If Hunter is not there then trade back."
The analyst believes that the Patriots should draft the best available player with the fourth overall pick. However, if Travis Hunter is already off the board, they should consider trading back.
That way, they'll get a solid haul of picks and potentially improve their roster in the process. Numerous teams in the league will be interested in such a move.
What could Travis Hunter add to the New England Patriots?
The New England Patriots haven't been great since Tom Brady left. The franchise has made just one postseason appearance, and they didn't make it past the wildcard round back then.
The franchise parted ways with the legendary Bill Belichick at the end of the 2023 season. They hired former Patriots' defensive star Jerod Mayo, but also parted ways with him at the end of the 2024 season. Next up is another franchise icon, Mike Vrabel.
If the Patriots draft Travis Hunter, they'll be getting one of the most talented players in collegiate football. Hunter is a physical specimen with the toolkit to thrive at either wide receiver or cornerback, or both.
Hunter played both sides of the ball throughout college, and he won awards as both a wideout and a cornerback. That skill set would be an instant boost for Vrabel as he looks to return the Patriots to their glory days.