2025 NFL mock draft has Travis Hunter going to Carolina Panthers with first overall pick

Cory Kinnan mocks Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter to Carolina with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 16: Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12), left, and QB Shedeur Sanders (2) get the fans fired up during warmups before the the Rocky Mountain Showdown against the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field September 16, 2023. / (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Right now if we had to make a bet on which position they'd pick, we'd say the Carolina Panthers will probably be taking a quarterback at number one overall in the 2025 NFL draft. For now head coach Dave Canales claims the team is not interested in trading Bryce Young. However, he also said Young was his starter less than 24 hours before he was benched.

Still, the team invested a whole lot of draft capital (and players) to trade up for Young, and writing him off after just 18 starts seems like an extreme move, even as poorly as he has played. It doesn't look great right now, but there's still a chance Young could develop into respectable starter in this league.

Why Panthers may not go QB at #1

If the Panthers still believe that's possible (assuming they do now) at midseason, it might make more sense to keep Young and give him another chance to start later this year, or to begin next season after another offseason to grow his game. One of many good reasons to give Young another shot is that it would free them up from the obligation of taking a quarterback with what's practically guaranteed to be the number one overall pick.

If they were to pass on the 2025 class of QBs with that pick, they could land the most-interesting skill player to come along in a good while and best overall player in the draft. That would be two-way Colorado superstar Travis Hunter, who lines up at both wide receiver and cornerback, excels at both and wants to continue doing so at the next level. A new mock draft from Cory Kinnan at SI Draft has Hunter going to the Panthers at #1.

"Through three weeks, Colorado's Travis Hunter has been perhaps the best player in the class. While he projects as a full-time cornerback at the NFL level, where he will thrive, he will demand offensive snaps as well. Don't count out owner David Tepper looking for a way to increase sales as well."

Words are wind, though. So here are the highlights.

Travis Hunter highlights

Quarterbacks are king, but if an NFL team really has a chance to land a high-level star at two critical positions with one pick, it's hard to pass on that opportunity no matter what other roster needs that they might have.

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