Former Colorado Buffaloes all-purpose threat Travis Hunter is just days away from becoming one of the Buffs' highest all-time NFL draft picks. In the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter has been projected as a wide receiver and cornerback, depending on the scouting department or draft analyst presenting their case.
Hunter has also been mocked as high as No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans and as low as seventh to the New York Jets. Realistically, Hunter should not make it out of the first picks, but should he, the Las Vegas Raiders would be an excellent landing spot for Hunter.
With new ownership including Tom Brady, new head coach in former Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll, and new Pro-Bowl quarterback Geno Smith, the Raiders couldn’t ask for a better fit than Hunter on either side of the ball. The Raiders need wide receivers and defensive backs, Hunter offers both and a star power that is currently missing from that organization on the field. In a list of ESPN best team fits, Hunter to Las Vegas was a selection.
Reports also surfaced on Tuesday that multiple teams have expressed interest in trading up to the top picks in the draft, presumably with Hunter as the target. Maybe Las Vegas is one of those teams.
“The top wide receiver in Las Vegas is Jakobi Meyers, and he's surrounded by players with limited NFL experience or production. Hunter could be a true WR1 for new QB Geno Smith. I love his agility and sure hands,” said ESPN analyst Matt Miller of Travis Hunter’s fit with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“One of the most unique prospects we have ever seen, Hunter has rare versatility and a legitimate path to a Pro Bowl career as either a wide receiver or a cornerback. While my personal belief is that Hunter's ceiling is highest at wideout, I'm not agonizing much over where he will eventually end up -- he will be great on either side of the ball. His ball skills and instincts are outstanding," ESPN’s big board ranking of Travis Hunter said.
As the No. 1 player on the consensus big board, Hunter being selected as the sixth prospect off the board would be considered one of the biggest steals in modern draft history. With the premium on quarterbacks and offensive linemen, there’s a possibility, albeit slim, that Hunter could fall past the first few picks.
Another reason is simply wrestling with the idea of where to start, Hunter, and if he could physically hold up playing two ways. Hunter’s former coach, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, weighed in on the subject.
"You playing the NFL game, and it's much slower than the college game. The college game is no-huddle. It's tempo. We have plays after plays after plays after plays. The pro game is so darn slow. You go into the huddle, you take your time, you call another play," Colorado coach Deion Sanders said on the Dan Patrick Show. “Not only that, you can't touch them, you can't hit them in the secondary, so the risk of being injured is not as such as the college football game, the pro game protects you even more.”
"Coach Prime" makes a valid point, as the football population had never seen a collegiate player succeed doing what Travis Hunter did on both sides of the ball. The word generational gets thrown out a lot these days, but it’s simply true in this regard for Hunter. If he’s proved the masses wrong once, who’s to say he can’t do it again in a much slower snap-to tempo like the NFL has? All in all, Hunter would be a fantastic building block for the Raiders and coach Pete Carroll.
