For Uncle Neely, the writing’s already on the wall — Travis Hunter is a certified baller with the skills to “stand next to a mountain and chop them down with the edge of his hands.” However, the real million-dollar question is whether the two-way Colorado superstar will sprint to the 2025 NFL Draft or run it back for another season in Boulder.
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If the way-too-early mock drafts are to be believed, Hunter could be a top 5 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. However, in a recent sit-down interview with “The Pregame Show” host Tolly Carr, Neely knows the decision is not so cut-and-dry.
“NIL plays so much, cause these guys are already, literally, in valuation making millions of dollars every year,” Neely stated matter-of-factly. For elite prospects like Hunter, who currently stands at a NIL valuation of $2.7 million, that NFL money is already hitting their pockets before playing a single down in the big league.
For Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, the choice may very well come down to which NFL franchise can wine and dine them best as their future team. But the 2024 season will play a big role.
“It’s going to come down to the type of season Travis has this year, where he places and lines up as far as his pursuit of the Heisman and then also, who else is coming out this year,” Neely explained.
While the lure of being a potential top selection is undeniably tantalizing, Uncle Neely isn’t convinced that Travis would bolt at the first chance. Dropping a kernel of wisdom, he suggested: “Sometimes man, the grass is greener where you are compared to where you may land in that draft-picking situation.”
Could this foreshadow Hunter doing the unthinkable and staying in Boulder for one more season under Deion Sanders‘ tutelage?
Uncle Neely Addresses Travis Hunter’s Injury Concerns
For a player of Travis Hunter’s caliber, who is also earning a substantial income, it’s not outrageous if he wishes to hang around in Boulder till 2026. It is especially when one factors in the nagging injury bug that’s kept him from finishing either of his first two collegiate campaigns. Keely, however, feels that the injury concerns should be taken with a grain of salt and asserts that Travis isn’t ‘injury prone’.
“He’s a hell of an athlete,” Keely said. “Travis Hunter is not an injury-prone guy. He has a personality that would fit well in any NFL locker room.”
Moreover, thanks to Prime Time’s advice, Hunter got surgery following his Jackson State injury to ensure he’s 100% for his bright future.
As for last season’s devastating campaign-ender at Colorado, Neely chalked it up to an illegal hit. So, one could argue that Travis is determined, but not reckless in his unrelenting pursuit of greatness.
So will it be millions more in NIL cash and another year of development under Coach Prime? Or is Hunter’s bag already secured, making the NFL’s Pro Day siren call impossible to ignore? For a talent of his magnitude, either option could ultimately prove to be the correct and profitable choice.
