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Travis Hunter

Giants Receiving Trade Calls; Team Expected To Stay At No. 3

April 16th, 2025 at 12:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll may well need a solid start to the 2025 season to retain their jobs, after John Mara alluded to losing patience after a 3-14 season. The Giants need a long-term quarterback answer, after Daniel Jones failed on a long runway, but their decision to pass on three first-round QBs last year looms large now.

The Giants are not expected to draft a QB at No. 3, and teams may have New York’s QB situation in mind when making trade calls. Schoen confirmed (via Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano) he has received calls about No. 3 overall. Pointing to the Giants staying at 3, Schoen said the team likes who will be there by that point in the draft.

[RELATED: Tension Growing Between Schoen, Daboll?]

Expected to have either Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter on the board at that spot, the Giants are almost certain to take whichever player the Browns do not. This scenario involves the Titans making their long-rumored Cam Ward pick at No. 1. The Giants would need to be creative if they added Carter, as the team already rosters Brian Burns‘ upper-market contract and former No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. While the Giants have a history of adding edge players when the area was already deep (via the Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul picks), neither player was chosen near the juncture Carter would be; Kiwanuka went 32nd in 2006, JPP 15th in ’10.

This situation has likely come up in trade calls, too, as the Giants could auction the pick for teams eyeing Carter — if the Browns take Hunter. Schoen would not hesitate on Carter, despite the presences of lofty EDGE investments, and he would not stand in the way of Hunter playing both ways.

The Giants have straddled the line on Hunter’s best position, initially viewing him as a better cornerback before also being open to the Heisman winner at receiver. Schoen said (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) the team would let Hunter play both ways, as he has “proven he can do it.” This would be an extraordinary step in the modern game. Schoen would presumably want Hunter to concentrate on one position while mixing in elsewhere, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan adds, noting CB would likely be the team’s first choice. Schoen added the team “likes” its secondary already.

One of these players heading to the Big Apple would ramp up the pressure for the team to tab a long-term QB soon after, though Schoen at least paid lip service to the Giants’ Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston signings not mandating (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) the team draft another option. Tommy DeVito remains on the team as well.

That said, the Giants have again done extensive QB work. The effort will conclude this week with Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough workouts. These will all come after the team conducted “30” visits with these passers. Jaxson Dart would also loom as a potential option in a scenario featuring a trade back into Round 1. Dart is not expected to be on the board when the Giants’ second-round pick (No. 34) goes on the clock. Both Dart and Sanders bring murky draft statuses, though, complicating a path that will begin with Hunter or Carter going at No. 3.

“If the value matches up with what we have on a player. (But) I’m not going to force it if it’s not the right value,” Schoen said (via Vacchiano). “If the board lines up when we’re on the clock, we’ll go with it. I’m not going to be backed into a corner on that.”

While it would surprise if the Giants left this draft without a quarterback, the team could technically field a Wilson-Winston-DeVito depth chart. That would not qualify as one of the NFL’s better QB trios, but it is an option if Schoen and Co. want to load up on position players to strengthen the roster around Wilson.

The team does want to come out of this draft with a quarterback, Vacchiano adds, but it does not love the class enough to mandate such a move. Although the Giants hold Ward in high regard, their late-season upset over the Colts scuttled that route.

Mara will not travel to Boulder, Schoen added, for Sanders’ workout. We heard recently that an owner becoming involved may be a way for Sanders to come off the board in Round 1. With Schoen not assured of being back in 2026, Mara’s voice may be important early in this draft. The Giants made a rather notable trade-up for a quarterback 21 years ago, agreeing to the post-selection swap for Eli Manning. Any move in this draft would not approach that decision’s stature, but the Giants would face franchise-defining questions at the position if they left this draft without a post-2025 plan at the position.

Travis Hunter: Teams Open To Two-Way Role

April 15th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Adam La Rose

One of the top storylines in the 2025 draft remains Travis Hunter‘s landing spot and the way in which he will be used at the NFL level. The Heisman winner has remained insistent, to no surprise, that he aims to continue playing at both receiver and cornerback as a pro.

During the pre-draft process, a key talking point for teams near the top of the first-round order has been the matter of where Hunter should play (at least, primarily) in the NFL. Opinions have been split along the way, and that remains the case to this day. In his most recent comments on the matter, Hunter doubled down on his goal of playing both ways.

In an interview with CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell, the Chuck Bednarik and Fred Biletnikoff winner (awarded respectively to the top defender and receiver in the country) said the concept of playing on offense and defense in the NFL has not been an issue for the teams he has spoken with. That will need to remain the case once Hunter is drafted, given his added comments that he would consider not suiting up if a team attempted to only use him at one position.

“It’s never playing football again,” Hunter said of his reaction in that hypothetical situation. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it.”

During Colorado’s Pro Day, Hunter – who did not participate in drills at the Combine, like many other top prospects – worked exclusively as a receiver. He is nevertheless seen in some circles as a cornerback, and how teams plan to use him will remain a key factor in determining his destination. The Browns (set to select second overall) and Giants (third) loom as his likeliest landing spots.

To no surprise, Hunter is among the prospects who will be in attendance for the first round of the draft. He will not need to wait long to hear his name called, but intrigue over his workload will persist throughout the build-up to his rookie campaign.

NFL Announces 17 Prospects Attending NFL Draft

April 14th, 2025 at 6:30pm CST by Ben Levine

There will be 17 draft prospects waiting in the green room to hear their name announced next week. The NFL announced the players who will attend the first round next Thursday night in Green Bay:

When players commit to attending the first round of the draft, their respective camps have often been given some kind of assurance that they’ll be selected within the top-32 picks. Of course, that’s not a prerequisite, and as we’ve seen many times, there are some overly-confident prospects who subsequently endure the very-public waiting game.

Per usual, the most notable inclusions surround the QB position. Cam Ward is the favorite to go first-overall, and Shedeur Sanders (who is absent from this list) is also expected to be selected at some point in the first round. After that, the position is pretty uncertain, and that could lead to some awkward moments for the other QBs who decided to attend.

Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe have firmly established themselves in that next tier of QB prospects, and recent reports have indicated that they should be at least Day 2 picks. There haven’t been any definitive reports about their Day 1 candidacy, and while we shouldn’t read too much into the list of attendees, it is notable that both prospects believe they have a shot of going in the top-32 selections.

AFC North Draft Rumors: Browns, Bengals, Steelers, Ravens

April 10th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Recently, we saw the Browns host a few probable Day 2 quarterback prospects, and it made us think that Cleveland is less likely to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and more likely to take his teammate Travis Hunter or Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter then pick a quarterback at the top of the second round. During an interview on ESPN’s The Daily Grossi, Tony Grossi seemed to support this notion.

Grossi seemed to confirm that the Browns like Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe “a lot” and that they could easily select him near the second round after addressing another position at No. 2 overall. I say “near the second round” because it’s likely that Cleveland could trade up a short distance back into the first round to secure a fifth-round option for a young passer.

This fits well with Milroe’s projected draft range, which Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports puts anywhere from pick No. 20 overall to pick No. 50. Cleveland holds the first pick of the second round (No. 33 overall).

Here are a few other draft rumors coming out of the AFC North division:

  • After spending most of their offseason so far (and a huge portion of their salary cap) on the wide receiver position, the Bengals are expected to use most of their six draft picks on defense, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. With the team so far failing to reach a new agreement with defensive end Trey Hendrickson and potentially even including him in a Draft Day trade deal, defensive end could be an obvious target in the first round. Tony Pauline of sportskeeda predicts that if Cincinatti does go pass rusher, assuming Carter and Georgia’s Mykel Williams are already off the table, it could trigger a run of pass rushers instead of allowing them to continue to slide later and later into the first round.
  • While the Steelers are expected to spend one of their two picks in the first three rounds of the draft on a quarterback, Reid claims that they could use the other on a defensive tackle or wide receiver. The team has done plenty of research on both positions, notably checking out defensive tackles Joshua Farmer from Florida State and JJ Pegues from Ole Miss and wide receivers Matthew Golden from Texas and Savion Williams from TCU.
  • Lastly, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley predicts that the most likely first-round scenario sees the Ravens bolstering their defensive line. Kyle Van Noy returns after giving the team 21.5 sacks in the last two years, and Odafe Oweh finally broke out with a 10.0-sack performance in 2024, but David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac — both drafted in the top three rounds of their respective drafts — have yet to make an impact. With Michael Pierce retiring and Travis Jones entering a contract year, defensive tackle could make a lot of sense. The first round is extremely deep at the position with players like Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, Ole Miss’s Walter Nolen, and Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams all projected to be selected somewhere around Baltimore’s 27th overall pick. More likely, though, the Ravens tend to let the draft fall to them and select the best player available regardless of position. With few true holes on the roster, this should give them a bevy of options.

Patriots Open To Trading Down; Interested In Jalon Walker, Armand Membou?

April 10th, 2025 at 5:05pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Patriots “would be happy” with using the fourth overall pick in April’s draft on Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, per ESPN’s Matt Miller.

Both are considered blue-chip prospects in a class with a wide range of evaluations, which is why it’s no certainty that they’ll even be available when New England is on the clock. Another team would likely need to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the top three.

If that doesn’t happen, the Patriots will be considering a wider range of options with the No. 4 pick, including a potential trade down with a team trying to acquire Sanders.

“If somebody has an offer for us, I think we’d be willing to listen,” said head coach Mike Vrabel (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss).

Vrabel also said that the team is looking to add a “premium” talent in the first round, but if Hunter and Carter are off the board, they might trade back to land another coveted prospect and gain additional draft capital.

The Patriots’ list of targets – either at No. 4 or later in the first round – could include LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, who have both visited New England. Campbell in particular has been frequently linked with the Patriots due to their need along the offensive line and his potential culture fit with Vrabel.

The team has also “done a lot of work” on Missouri’s Armand Membou, per Miller. He is Campbell’s primary competition to be the first offensive linemen selected this year, and the Patriots are interested in both players.

Georgia’s Jalon Walker could also fit the playmaking mold that Vrabel is looking to add to the Patriots defense, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The hybrid linebacker can line up off-ball or on the edge and brings leadership skills and a mentality that Vrabel will appreciate.

Giants To Host RB Omarion Hampton; Latest On Team’s First-Round Plans

April 10th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

Adding a rookie quarterback is certainly on the table for the Giants; with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on the books, though, the team has increasingly been seen as situated to avoid a signal-caller with the No. 3 pick. Signs continue to point in that direction.

Provided the Titans follow through with selecting Cam Ward first overall, the Browns will be left with their choice of top prospects Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. Whichever member of that pair remains available when New York is on the clock will no doubt receive strong consideration, especially if general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll do not view Shedeur Sanders as being worth a top-three pick.

The Browns have previously been linked to heavy Carter interest, but more recently Hunter has emerged as the favorite to go second overall. Part of determining the Heisman winner’s NFL landing spot will of course be the evaluation of his position at the pro level, and the Giants – who may have shifted their view on that front – are firmly in play to draft him. A move up the board to accomplish that may be on the table.

Sports Illustratred’s Albert Breer writes either Hunter or Carter are likely headed to the Giants later this month, with the team positioned to take a best player available approach at the top of the board. Selecting the latter would add to an edge rush group already featuring Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, making for what could be a less immediate path to playing time for the Penn State standout. By contrast, Hunter could fill a void at receiver and/or cornerback.

New York’s WR group is headlined by Malik Nabers and includes veteran re-signee Darius Slayton, but room exists for a complementary option. Hunter could meet that requirement on offense, or if deployed on defense he could join a CB depth chart featuring free agent addition Paulson Adebo. 2023 first-rounder Deonte Banks has not developed as hoped, and Hunter could compete for a starting spot right away opposite Adebo on the perimeter. Depending on how the Browns’ evaluations shake out, Breer adds a trade up to the second slot could be in play which would ensure the Giants’ ability to add Hunter.

In other draft news concerning the team, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Omarion Hampton is visiting today. The North Carolina product is widely seen as the second best member of a very strong running back class and is firmly on the first-round radar. New York’s post-Saquon Barkley era saw veteran Devin Singletary and fifth-round rookie Tyrone Tracy split time in the backfield. Both of them are under contract for next year, but adding further at the RB position could be under consideration.

Barring a move well down the Day 1 order, though, Hampton is unlikely to be in New York’s range. The second-team All-American can likely be projected to hear his name called sometime in the 20s, Breer predicts (video link). A Hampton selection prior to that could be in the cards, although it would still represent a surprise if the Giants were to find themselves as a serious suitor.

NFL Teams Remain Split On Travis Hunter’s Position

April 9th, 2025 at 9:41pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Colorado draft prospect Travis Hunter wants to play both receiver and cornerback full-time in the NFL, but the consensus in league circles is that he will likely focus on one position with a situational role at the other.

Even that would be a physical and mental challenge, not to mention a logistical one, too. Hunter would need to attend meetings for the full offense and defense, plus both of his positions, and he’d have to continue the juggling act during practices. He did it throughout his college career, but the jump in NFL competition and complexity would require even more discipline and time management.

A “slight majority” of teams polled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler see Hunter as a cornerback. One executive said that he could be among a top-10 receiver, but one of the league’s best corners by the end of his first contract.

If forced to choose, Hunter would prefer to primarily play wide receiver, a sentiment that is shared by some scouts. Among them is ESPN’s Matt Miller, who argued that Hunter’s slender frame would face more wear-and-tear at cornerback and his playmaking ability offers higher upside at receiver.

Miller also noted that Hunter ran routes at Colorado’s pro day but did not participate in any cornerback drills, reinforcing the message that he will be receiver first in the NFL.

A quick comparison of wide receiver and cornerback contracts make it clear why Hunter would want to be classified as a receiver. His ability to play on both sides of the ball will already boost his earning potential, but his official classification is still important. The NFLPA will need to list him at one position, so being a receiver would offer him more money for both his fifth-year option and any potential franchise tags. In the long run, he stands to make significantly more money as a wide receiver who also contributes at corner as opposed to the inverse.

The Giants reportedly view Hunter primarily as a cornerback, but head coach Brian Daboll expressed openness to playing him at wide receiver.

“It’s really remarkable what he has done and the ability to perform at that level, not really getting a rest,” said Daboll (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “We’ll evaluate him at both spots.’’ 

Giants Could Aim To Land Both Colorado Stars

April 9th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Ely Allen

APRIL 9: Echoing the notion that Carter or Hunter are the team’s likely targets at No. 3, Fowler’s colleague Jordan Raanan reports some see the Giants as not being high on Sanders. If that were to be the case, a quarterback move later in the draft would certainly still be in play, but a package deal of Hunter and Sanders would not be feasible. How New York evaluates the Colorado passer over the coming days will be critical in informing the team’s draft approach.

APRIL 8: For a while, it seemed like there was an obvious path for Colorado quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders to land with the Giants. Some later acquisitions made it seem likely that New York would go elsewhere in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a recent mock draft by Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York suggested that there’s still a less obvious path that could see Sanders end up with Big Blue.

Initially, it was thought that the Giants would be considering drafting Sanders with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. A few things have changed that thinking. First, while quarterback was certainly seen as an area in need of improvement initially, the Giants have since added two veterans with starting potential in Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson. Adding two veteran passers doesn’t solve the team’s long-term future at quarterback, but it did make it to where there’s no obligation to address the position in this year’s draft, perhaps delaying to a class with more than one first-round worthy player at the position.

Second, Sanders’ draft stock has not exactly been on the rise in recent weeks. Whether a result of one-on-one interviews or his workouts, some teams seem to have fallen out of love with him. As a result, Sanders has seemed to be in danger of sliding down the draft board and, at times, out of the first round altogether.

The third thing to change the potential outcome is the increasingly certain outlook of the Titans’ No. 1 overall pick. While not Sharpied in, there’s growing certainty around the league that Miami quarterback Cam Ward is headed to Tennessee. That leaves the draft’s top two prospects — Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter — available for Cleveland to decide between, assuming they’re also out on Sanders.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler asserted recently that with the acquisitions of Winston and Wilson lessening the need for a passer, it’s the belief of most teams in the top 10 picks of the draft that the Giants will choose whoever remains out of Carter and Hunter after the Titans and Browns make their picks. He doesn’t abandon quarterback as an option but claims they may defer that position to Days 2 or 3.

Hughes’ mock draft agrees on one hand, showing New York selecting Hunter after Ward and Carter go 1 & 2. Where it disagrees with Fowler’s sentiment comes six picks later, where Hughes doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Giants trading back into the first round to draft Sanders alongside his teammate at No. 9 overall. As Hughes explains, New York has plenty of picks to give up in order to move up; they have two thirds this year and their full cache of picks in 2026.

It would be a bold move for general manager Joe Schoen and company, likely spending a lot of draft capital in order to take the Buffaloes teammates in the top 10, but perhaps a bold move is exactly what is needed in New York. It was news when Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll kept their jobs after Black Monday, so making bold moves to setup up the future of the team may be the all-in action necessary for Schoen to stick around past 2025.

Browns Seen As Favorite To Draft Travis Hunter At No. 2?

April 5th, 2025 at 10:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Provided the Titans select Cam Ward first overall, the Browns will have their choice of the consensus top two prospects in the 2025 draft class. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter have each received plenty of attention from teams at the top of the board, and it would come as no surprise if one wound up being selected by Cleveland second overall.

A report from last week stated Carter was in the lead with respect to which way the Browns were leaning. Cleveland has done extensive work on him, of course, but more recently signs have emerged that teams do not feel Carter will be the eventual pick at the No. 2 slot. If that proves to be true, Hunter looms as a logical option.

On that point, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports there is a “growing belief” around the NFL that the Heisman winner is the Browns’ top choice at this point (subscription required). Howe adds Cleveland’s evaluations of Hunter have been strong throughout the pre-draft process. Taking that route would still leave the Browns in need of a quarterback addition, something of note given the team’s homework including Ward (who is seen as out of reach) as well as Shedeur Sanders.

The latter would give Cleveland a potential long-term answer under center, something needed given the extent to which the Deshaun Watson acquisition has not paid off. Questions about Sanders’ NFL ceiling have led to a wide range regarding his draft stock, though, a stark contrast to the cases of both Carter and Hunter. Both of those prospects are seen as locks for the top five, although Hunter’s transition to the NFL will require a decision regarding his position. Cleveland has been linked to using the Fred Biletnikoff winner as a receiver, something which appears to be in line with the current view of other teams as well.

Hunter had previously been seen more as a corner, something which came as little surprise given his success on the defensive side of the ball (culminating in his Chuck Bednarik award win in 2024) and the comparative scarcity of true No. 1 cover men in the NFL. In any case, where Hunter lands will be key in determining his workload early in his career. The Giants (set to draft third overall) and Patriots (fourth) represent suitable and expected destinations in the event the Browns go in another direction.

During Colorado’s Friday pro day, the Browns and Giants had large groups on hand. ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes 14 members of New York’s organization were present; in Cleveland’s case, 11 people – including general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski – were in attendance. Plenty of time remains for opinions to be changed in either camp, but Hunter will no doubt remain a key target for both teams leading up to the first round.

Titans Cancel Travis Hunter Workout

April 5th, 2025 at 5:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

It was learned earlier today the Titans will not conduct a private workout with quarterback Shedeur Sanders. One had been on the books, with the same being true of his Colorado teammate Travis Hunter.

Now, though, Tennessee will also pass on a Hunter workout. The Ringer’s Todd McShay notes no workout with the Heisman winner will take place. That represents another sign Miami quarterback Cam Ward will hear his name called first overall when the draft kicks off later this month. In addition, it obviously brings about further intrigue about where Hunter will wind up.

The Titans had already narrowed down their list of options for the top pick to the prospects frequently linked to the top of the board. Ward, Hunter, Sanders and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter were recently named by head coach Brian Callahan as those receiving consideration. One or more members of the Colorado pair could still be in play, of course, and the same applies to Carter. Barring a trade down – something which some in the building support – though, Ward can be expected to operate as Tennessee’s next starting signal-caller.

As for Hunter, McShay echoes previous reporting which points to the Browns leaning in that direction. Cleveland owns the second overall pick, and taking Hunter would likely allow the team to make a notable addition at the receiver position. The Browns are believed to see the two-way standout primarily as an offensive player, and in general the sentiment around the league seems to have shifted that way (after previously being pointed toward Hunter playing mainly as a cornerback).

The Browns entered the offseason in need of a starting quarterback with Deshaun Watson likely to miss a portion of the 2025 season (if not the entire campaign). The team swung a deal for former first-rounder Kenny Pickett, but more additions could be coming. Cleveland has frequently been linked to a Kirk Cousins acquisition. It remains to be seen if the Falcons will be prepared to trade him, however, and if a team will be willing to absorb most of his scheduled 2025 compensation in the process.

Selecting Hunter could ultimately result in Pickett – whose brief run as the Steelers’ starter did not go as planned – handling QB1 duties in Cleveland, or the team could add a rookie later in the draft. Either way, the Browns are the team worth watching the closest with respect to his stock at this point as the Titans further signal their intentions at the top of the board.

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