We’re fairly certain that Hunter won’t be a Tennessee Titan. All signs point to Cam Ward being the apple of Tennessee’s eye at No. 1 overall. But will Hunter be selected No. 2 overall by the Cleveland Browns? Recent actions show they’re interested in securing the services of Hunter’s collegiate teammate, Shedeur Sanders, instead.
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If both of those selections occur, the New England Patriots would be sitting on the clock with Hunter available. And if Rob Gronkowski were Eliot Wolf – New England’s Executive Vice President of Player Personnel – he’d immediately submit the Patriots’ draft card with Hunter’s name on it. During the Dudes on Dudes podcast, Gronkowski predicted Hunter would go to New England at No. 3 overall.
“I think he’s going to the New England Patriots. I think they need help on both sides of the ball, so why not draft a two-way player? They don’t need a quarterback. They need a receiver, and if it doesn’t work out at receiver, he can play defensive back [or vice-versa]… It’s a win-win situation.” – Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski isn’t lying about the Patriots needing a wideout. In 2024, Demario Douglas led the team in receiving yards (624). New England could desperately use an alpha receiver to help Drake Maye develop into a true superstar. And defensively, the prospect of pairing Hunter with Christian Gonzalez at cornerback is tantalizing.
Which position(s) would Travis Hunter play for the Patriots?
As mentioned, Travis Hunter would be useful for New England no matter where he lines up. But he has sounded adamant about playing both wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL. Is this something head coach Mike Vrabel and Co. would allow him to do?
In Julian Edelman’s estimation, the answer to that question is yes… to a degree. He doesn’t see the Patriots being willing to make Hunter a starter at both positions right off the bat. But he actually doesn’t see New England taking Hunter with the No. 3 overall pick if he’s on the board.
“I don’t think he’s going to play full-time both ways. I just don’t think a team is going to invest a lot of money into him to do that when you could get more out of him playing on one side and then giving a package on the other. [And] I don’t think he’s going to the Giants, or the Browns, [but] I don’t think the Patriots are going to get him either,” Julian Edelman explained.
Edelman told Gronkowski he could see Hunter landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gronkowski said, “that wouldn’t be fun” and claimed going to Jacksonville is “kind of like… a career killer.”
“[Travis Hunter] has to go to a market where it’s exciting. Even when the Jaguars are good, it’s… not that exciting.” – Rob Gronkowksi
Gronkowski stated that Cleveland’s market is “better” than Jacksonville’s. It sounds like he’d rather not have the chance to select Hunter at all than to have him on the board and go another direction. We’ll see which scenario the Patriots are faced with – and what they’ll do – when the 2025 NFL Draft begins on Apr. 24.
