Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter is among the candidates to go first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. It remains to be seen if he’ll be a wide receiver, a cornerback, or both!
Either way, Hunter is a once-in-a-generation talent who will take over as the face of the franchise wherever he lands. Making the Hunter watch more enticing is the fact that close to a dozen teams have a realistic shot at winning the sweepstakes.
So, among the teams with a semi-realistic chance of landing him, here are the five best destinations for Travis Hunter in the NFL and the five worst.
Who are the five best and worst teams for Travis Hunter in next year’s NFL draft?
Best: New England Patriots
The Patriots haven’t had a superstar player of Travis Hunter’s magnitude, aura, or following since some guy named Tom Brady. Not sure about you, but that already feels like a lifetime ago to us.
New England isn’t the hot spot for star players that it was during the Brady-Bill Belichick era. But you have to restart somewhere, and the Patriots really do make sense as a landing spot for Colorado’s two-way superstar.
The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2019 when Julian Edelman hit the feat with TB12 as his QB. Drake Maye has shown immense potential since taking over as New England’s starting quarterback despite having the league’s worst set of pass-catchers at his disposal.
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Maye already looks like a budding star. How much greater do you think he could be with an all-world wide receiver like Travis Hunter as his No. 1 weapon? Suddenly, an offense with Maye, Hunter, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Hunter Henry looks really promising.
And if Hunter is assigned to defense? Imagine him joining forces with 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez, who’s on his way to entering the conversation for the NFL’s best cornerback. Just saying!
Worst: Carolina Panthers
In the David Tepper ownership era, the Panthers have basically become the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. That is a graveyard for ultra-highly-touted prospects that were supposed to amount to something special.
Also, just look at how much former Panthers stars Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and Brian Burns flourished after leaving Carolina. Now, try telling us that they’re a good landing spot for the two-way sensation.
The Panthers will be moving on from Bryce Young after two miserable seasons. Great, but then what’s the option at QB? If Carolina ends up winning the Hunter sweepstakes, do you really think his potential will be maximized with Andy Dalton or another veteran bridge QB?
That’s if you focus on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, the only game-changing stud they have is Jaycee Horn. And unfortunately, this star cornerback hasn’t been able to stay healthy at all.
It just feels like a lose-lose situation for Hunter if he lands in Carolina. We’d like the Panthers to be a landing spot if they had an adequate quarterback option in place, but that’s much easier said than done.
So join us in crossing our fingers and hoping this generational talent doesn’t land with football’s most dysfunctional franchise.
Best: Dallas Cowboys
We know the odds of Dallas getting Travis Hunter isn’t that great. They’re not bad enough to finish with a top-five pick, after all.
BUT what if Jerry Jones sold his farm, an arm and a leg to trade up and select Hunter? What if another team couldn’t refuse his offer to move up? Hey, crazier things have happened in the NFL…
Even if you hate the Cowboys, there’s no denying that America’s Team is the perfect landing spot for Hunter. From a marketing standpoint, the story writes itself. Deion Sanders played for Jerry Jones’ squad from 1995 to 1999, winning a Super Bowl title in his first season with the franchise.
Surely, Sanders and Jones would be more than happy to further promote Travis Hunter’s name, image, and popularity in the field. Together, those two could help Hunter become the co-face of the NFL with Patrick Mahomes.
If you want to focus purely on the football fit? Well, Hunter and CeeDee Lamb would give Dak Prescott the best wide receiver duo in the league. Or, you know, Hunter could form a three-headed All-Pro cornerback tandem with star corners Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland.
Hunter probably makes better sense as a receiver in Dallas. We know the odds of him coming here aren’t high, but the Cowboys are still one of the best possible spots for a player with his skill set.
Worst: Las Vegas Raiders
Coming into the 2024 season, we were convinced that the Raiders were a quarterback away from emerging as a playoff team again in the AFC. Boy, were we wrong.
The QB room is only one of many issues. The offensive line needs a makeover. The ground game needs someone like, dare we say, Josh Jacobs. The offense needs another explosive playmaker after trading Davante Adams to the New York Jets.
The entire defense is a mess, even with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. And, uh, a more experienced and qualified head coach than Antonio Pierce would also suffice.
Other than that, we can’t think of any cons for Travis Hunter coming to Sin City. Does he want to be their only good defensive back? Does he want to suffer the same fate as Adams and get frustrated by having a bottom-tier quarterback throwing him the football?
Woof, does Hunter to Vegas have “nightmare fuel” written all over it. There aren’t any Pro Bowl-caliber NFL QBs heading to free agency this year, and the Raiders can’t have both Travis Hunter and a top signal-caller prospect like Carson Beck, Shedeur Sanders, Cameron Ward or Quinn Ewers.
Plus, haven’t the Raiders wasted enough players’ prime years…namely Crosby, Jacobs, Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, and Nnamdi Asomugha…just to name a few?
Also Read: Superstar Travis Hunter Reveals He’s Demading $40 Million From The Colorado Buffaloes
Best: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have been one of the biggest disappointments in football this season. But hey, all it takes is one generational talent like Hunter to change everything.
The Jags’ struggles are surprising, given the amount of talent on both sides of the ball. On offense, they have Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr., Evan Engram, Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne Jr.
The defense is led by the young pass-rushing duo of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker and stud corner Tyson Campbell. Perhaps it’s just one more five-star game-changer like Hunter to bring all the pieces together?
If Hunter joined Jacksonville’s offense, he and Thomas Jr. would instantly become a top-five receiving tandem. And surely, Trevor Lawrence wouldn’t be able to waste that much potential…right? With guys like Etienne and Kirk as secondary weapons?
If the Jaguars wanted to use Hunter on defense, well, you wouldn’t find a much better defensive back tiro than him, Campbell and safety Andre Cisco.
Regardless of which side of the ball Jacksonville would use him on, Hunter would be in an excellent position to flourish in Duval County.
Worst: Tennessee Titans
The Titans’ long-term outlook might be darker than any other in football right now. They waited way too long to rebuild, watching Derrick Henry leave for nothing and settling on a mid-round pick for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
$92 million man Calvin Ridley has been a bust at wide receiver and probably regrets signing here in the first place. Will Levis isn’t it at quarterback, and the Titans will likely end up drafting his replacement in round one.
The only logical explanation for Tennessee NOT taking an NFL QB in round one would be if they took another prospect like Travis Hunter. Then what? Who’s throwing the ball to Hunter? Better not be the current guy unde center.
Levis never really formed chemistry with Hopkins, and he’s wasting the talent of a two-time 1,000-yard receiver like Ridley. He never got it going with 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks, either, so we don’t really trust him to maximize Hunter’s talents.
The Titans had a mini-fun run with Ryan Tannehill behind center, but they’ve mostly been mired in mediocrity over the last 15 years. The last thing we want for Travis Hunter is to have his talents wasted a constantly-rebuilding team without the necessary pieces to properly build around him.
Best: Arizona Cardinals
After being stuck in no-man’s land for a few years, the Cardinals are finally on the right track here under head coach Jonathan Gannon.
A healthy Kyler Murray provides the stability they need at quarterback. Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has the potential to soon be a top-five receiver in this league, and tight end Trey McBride is inching closer to All-Pro territory.
It just feels like the Cardinals need a couple of more superstar-level players to finally emerge as a contender in the difficult NFC. That includes one more dynamic offensive weapon and a pure shutdown cornerback.
Or, you know, a can’t-miss NFL prospect like Travis Hunter.
All-Pro safety Budda Baker is a pending free agent and unlikely to re-sign in Arizona. Hunter could fill their need for a game-changing defensive back. Remember when they had an in-his-prime Patrick Peterson some years ago?
But right now, we’re obsessed with the possibility of Hunter, Harrison Jr. and McBride forming an unstoppable receiver trio for Murray. It would actually be hilarious if one of Hunter or Harrison had to be a No. 2 receiver.
Murray’s dual-threat style and ability to extend plays would go hand-in-hand with Hunter’s home run speed and knack for stretching the field. It just feels too good of a fit to not happen…if Arizona can tank their way toward his services.
Worst: New York Giants
The Giants are still in complete disarray. They are more than a Travis Hunter away from returning to relevance in the NFC. And it starts with getting a new quarterback.
Fortunately for the Giants, they can get out of Daniel Jones’ contract after this season with minimal financial ramifications. And with the G-Men sure to finish with a top-seven pick, they’re a safe bet to land one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 draft.
The Giants’ other option would be to find a bridge QB and use their first-round pick on another position. That’s not out of the question if they feel good about their chances of snagging Travis Hunter.
Either way, this is not the place for Hunter to start his professional career. The Giants have been a trainwreck since their Super Bowl 46 championship-winning season, recycling through GMs and head coaches and wasted draft picks like there’s no tomorrow.
We don’t want to see Hunter land on a Giants team without a suitable QB option. And with constant dysfunction. And potentially, with a rookie head coach and GM.
The Giants have Malik Nabers as their star wide receiver. They have Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux on defense. They don’t need to waste the talents of another young star, let alone a once-in-a-lifetime prospect like Hunter.
Best: New York Jets
IF there was a New York NFL team to land Travis Hunter….it would hopefully be the Jets.
Now, we know what you’re gonna say. The Jets are just as dysfunctional as the Giants. The whole Aaron Rodgers headache…the firing of Robert Saleh after the Week 5 loss in London. Did we miss anything?
But do hear us out on this one. The Jets could use Travis Hunter as an NFL wide receiver and form a dream team on offense with Rodgers, Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, Breece Hall and Allen Lazard.
Adams and Lazard are getting up there in age, so we wouldn’t call it an unnecessary overload of wide receivers here. Hunter, Wilson and Hall would have the Jets set up nicely on offense in the post-Rodgers and Adams era.
Oh, but what about defense? Sauce Gardner is only the best cornerback in the league. What if Hunter joined forces with him there? That’d be like having peak Darrelle Revis and peak Richard Sherman on defense together.
In terms of their current roster make-up, the Jets are an ideal landing spot for Hunter on both sides of the ball. And just maybe it’s Hunte’s services that help Rodgers’ squad reach Super Bowl contender status in 2025…
Worst: Cleveland Browns
No, please no.
The Browns are a disaster from top to bottom. Deshaun Watson has the worst contract in football, and the Browns are stuck with him for at least another year.
They traded their top wide receiver, Amari Cooper, to the Buffalo Bills. Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb is a pending free agent. The offensive line is a mess. Turns out the remarkable performance on defense last year was a mirage, too.
There’s just nothing about the Browns that leave reason for long-term optimism. Watson was unwatchable before his season-ending Achilles tear. Please don’t let him get first dibbs on throwing to Hunter in the NFL.
One could argue that Hunter would turn the Browns’ D back into an elite group with Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward already there. Maybe, but again, how can the Browns win with the make-up of this offense?
Also, as we previously stated, the Browns are the NFL’s ultimate graveyard for highly-touted prospects. So yeah, let’s all pray that Hunter doesn’t land here.
