Patriots Projected to Shockingly Pass on Travis Hunter

The New England Patriots were predicted to shockingly pass on Travis Hunter in a new NFL mock draft.
Oct 26, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field.
Oct 26, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots badly need a long-term No. 1 wide receiver to pair with young franchise quarterback Drake Maye. That is one area that they are expected to target aggressively during the upcoming NFL offseason.

With that in mind, the Patriots are expected to have a very high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Right now, they are projected to have the No. 3 pick if the season ended today.

Of course, there is one player at the top of the draft that every fan in New England would love to see the franchise get. That player is none other than Colorado Buffaloes superstar Travis Hunter.

If the Patriots do end up getting the No. 3 overall pick, they could end up having a shot at Hunter.

At the top of the draft, there is a chance that two quarterbacks would be taken back to back. In that scenario, New England would have the chance to select Hunter.

Josh Edwards of CBS Sports has released a new mock draft in which that exact scenario unfolded. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders went No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, which left Hunter for the Patriots.

However, Edwards had New England shockingly passing on Hunter. Instead, he had them taking Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with that selection.

Needless to say, if the Patriots passed on Hunter the fan base would erupt with anger.

Hunter appears to be a future superstar at the NFL level. He is fresh off of winning the Heisman Trophy and has elite playmaking ability.

During the 2024 college football season with Colorado, Hunter racked up 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. Past his production, the entertainment that he brings to the field is top-tier.

McMillan is a very good player and probably a more pure wide receiver at this stage of his career than Hunter, but the long-term upside is bigger with Hunter. Passing up on the opportunity to get him would be a brutal decision to make.

All of that being said, this is just one mock draft. Many others would have Hunter being the clear-cut favorite for New England to pick if he's available at No. 3.

There is a lot of time between now and the 2025 NFL Draft and the draft order still needs to be figure out completely. However, if this scenario happened, the front office would be hearing a lot of hateful things from Patriots fans.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.