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But he’s NOT the consensus best WR in this draft. He’s ranked as the 4th best pure WR in most scouting reports. The fact that he’s projected to go top 3 or 4 is due to the fact he’s an elite cornerback.

Here Bleacher Report yesterday has Hunter ranked as the 7th best WR in this draft. If you think the Pats need a cornerback at 4 then yes Hunter is the guy.

And now we're trusting Bleacher Report on how they rank players?

Cmon.

I just think you don't like Hunter.
 
Also weren’t they supposedly prioritizing “culture” avoiding diva receivers, isn’t this guy a known diva receiver? Or is it ok cus he’ll be cheap?
It makes it better for me if he’s cheap. First of all it will humble him not getting number 1 money. Second if you don’t clearly express expectations and set the proper tone in this scenario that is on the team and my understanding is that this is a Vrabel strength. Finally I would absolutely put up with some headaches rather than rolling out Boutte/Bourne/Douglas as my top 3 WR again.

Sure it’d be better to pry AJ Brown free but he has some question marks on attitude as well and will cost a fortune.

So yeah I’m down for a gamble on Diggs.
 
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It makes it better for me if he’s cheap. First of all it will humble him not getting number 1 money. Second if you don’t clearly express expectations and set the proper tone in this scenario that is on the team and my understanding is that this is a Vrabel strength. Finally I would absolutely put up with some headaches rather than rolling out Boutte/Bourne/Douglas as my top 3 WR again.

Sure it’d be better to pry AJ Brown free but he has some question marks on attitude as well and will cost a fortune.

So yeah I’m down for a gamble on Diggs.
I mean idc about the cost if the player is worth it, it’s not my money. Like 90% of the good receivers have attitude problems so why keep “gambling” on bargain bin receivers that are headaches, when you can just pay the money for a legit #1 receiver that maybe is a headache.

I think it’s used as an excuse to not get expensive receivers but if they’re legitimately concerned about “culture” on a 4 win team then we’re cooked. Actually winning is a big part of creating a winning culture.
 
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I think you might have misread that article. They provided landing spots for the six WRs they have ranked in their Top 50, and then added Hunter in at the end as a "bonus" since they have him ranked as a CB.

Also, I tend to follow the draft process pretty closely, and I'm not sure I've seen any reputable source rank Hunter as the 4th-best WR in this draft.
The article clearly ranks them starting with the “unicorn” listed first and Luther Burden ranked 6th of the 7: “The season didn't work out quite the way he hoped. Thus, his standing is nearly as much about value as fit.”
I think Hunter goes in top 5. Someone will want an elite corner who can occasionally chip in offensively. I don’t think the Patriots need a corner. He projects to be a very good player I won’t pout if they select him. I just disagree with the narrative of some here that Hunter is this elite clear cut top wideout in this draft class. He’s ranked as high as he is because he played two positions very well. I don’t think he’ll be a full time player on both sides of the ball in the NFL. I go WR or trade back a few spots. To each his own.
 
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The article clearly ranks them starting with the “unicorn” listed first and Luther Burden ranked 6th of the 7: “The season didn't work out quite the way he hoped. Thus, his standing is nearly as much about value as fit.”
I think Hunter goes in top 5. Someone will want an elite corner who can occasionally chip in offensively. I don’t think the Patriots need a corner. He projects to be a very good player I won’t pout if they select him. I just disagree with the narrative of some here that Hunter is this elite clear cut top wideout in this draft class. He’s ranked as high as he is because he played two positions very well. I don’t think he’ll be a full time player on both sides of the ball in the NFL. I go WR or trade back a few spots. To each his own.

Sorry, but @GatorMike is absolutely correct about the article.

It says at the top:
Currently, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department has six wide receivers ranked among its top 50 prospects...With those six wide receivers in mind, plus the draft's wild card, B/R identifies where each would flourish or flounder.

First line in the Hunter section literally says:
Colorado's Travis Hunter is included as a bonus because he hasn't been shy about his intentions to continue playing on both sides of the ball.

This is Bleacher Report's Top 50 Big Board.

This is the rank of each player in that article.

1. CB Travis Hunter, Colorado (9.2)
6. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (8.7)
22. WR Matthew Golden, Texas (8.0)
24. WR Tre Harris, Ole Miss (8.0)
26. WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (8.0)
29. WR Luther Burden III, Missouri (7.9)
42. WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford (7.7)
 
Diggs can be a dink but I don’t get any Antonio Brown vibes. Diva WR have been a reality for as long as I can remember. While Brown was a Diva what set him apart as unreliable and untrustworthy went far beyond simply being a diva.
People were clamoring for DK, I trust Diggs character more
 
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People were clamoring for DK, I trust Diggs character more
I can agree but only if we are also considering the contract. Certainly if I were betting on a fantasy draft pick I’m going DK. But Diggs on a one or two year deal at reasonable money so that you could keep looking for a truer WR1. Absolutely.
 
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Sorry, but @GatorMike is absolutely correct about the article.

It says at the top:


First line in the Hunter section literally says:


This is Bleacher Report's Top 50 Big Board.

This is the rank of each player in that article.

1. CB Travis Hunter, Colorado (9.2)
6. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (8.7)
22. WR Matthew Golden, Texas (8.0)
24. WR Tre Harris, Ole Miss (8.0)
26. WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (8.0)
29. WR Luther Burden III, Missouri (7.9)
42. WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford (7.7)
You’re proving my point. “6 wide receivers” and you list 7 names at bottom of your post. You list an CORNERBACK and 6 wide receivers. Make it make sense.





 
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Google “Travis Hunter #1 ranked wide receiver” and you’ll get about infinity hits from various credible sources that say he’s the best WR in the draft

Now at the end of the day who is to say how he’ll be in the pros- maybe Tre Harris or Matthew Golden or Emeka Egbuka end up better players than him. But it’s absolutely a popular opinion that he’s the best WR in the draft. Now not everybody has this opinion, but plenty of people do to the point where it’s not an outlandish take. It’s actually probably the consensus

I still don’t get the “Jack of all trades, master of none” angle when he’s debatably the #1 guy at 2 different positions. They wouldn’t take him top 5 if he was merely average at those things. He is an elite talent. He would have been my WR3 last year behind Nabers and Harrison, I like him more than Odunze.
 
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You’re proving my point. “6 wide receivers” and you list 7 names at bottom of your post. You list an CORNERBACK and 6 wide receivers. Make it make sense.
Hunter is the unicorn because he can play both CB and WR. There's honest debate about which position he'd be better at. The way I read the article was that they ranked the Top 6 WRs, and then threw Hunter in at the end because he might not play WR in the NFL.

Here's Mel Kiper and Field Yates ranking the top WRs in this year's draft. Kiper says that Hunter is "clearly, without any hesitation, by a mile, the best receiver in this draft". Yates agrees, and says that Hunter is "the clear cut top wide receiver" and argues that not only is Hunter a better receiver than CB, but that he's got All-Pro upside as a receiver. Fast forward to the 1:30 mark:

 
I don't think anyone is arguing that Hunter isn't a top 5 prospect at both positions. He IS a unicorn at the college football level. The NFL is just not the same as college football. The chances that he is able to be effective at both positions in the NFL are just not that high. If he can be evaluated as the best at the individual position, then that is what matters at the draft. Would you take him as the first WR in this draft, without knowing that he played CB as well? Or at CB, without WR?

Hypothetical scenario: Hunter is a starter at WR & CB in the NFL. Having a guy that starts at 2 key positions adds risk, since you're not relying on him to stay healthy. He's more exposed to injury and if he gets injured, you lose a starting player on both sides of the ball.

I don't want the Patriots to draft Hunter for many reasons. I also don't want the Patriots to draft Tet with the 4th overall pick. Even watching highlights of Tet make him look slow - top end speed & quickness just aren't great. There is no way that the unofficial pro day 40 time is accurate.

Both guys also played really weak schedules. Colorado played so many bad teams and Hunter feasted on the lesser competition. The Sanders element also scares me - him being involved is a (maybe unfair) negative on Hunter for me. Also, Sanders wide open style of play inherently makes Hunter look better from a statistical perspective. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Sanders main goal for Colorado this season was to make his son & "adopted son" improve their draft stock (this is conspiracy theory territory though - probably not relevant). The hype machine feels overwhelming with this guy.

Both guys may end up being elite in the NFL, but I don't see them as being worth the risk at 4OA. I would rather find a way to move back and take Golden or Higgins in the 2nd round. Jack Bech would be a great pick up as well, even though he would be somewhat redundant on the Patriots. There's also this kid that may be a flier option on day 3 (this CANNOT be the only WR added by the draft**):
 


And not only this, but he put the straps on Tet when they played too

People are throwing around the term unicorn because there has never been a guy with top 10 pick grades at 2 positions before. He is 1 of 1.

The million dollar question is which WR's game will better translate in the NFL?
You can make the argument that Brian Thomas was the best WR taken from last years draft, if you compare last years stats.
Personally, I think Nabers will be the top WR from the draft, when we look back in 5 years.
 
The million dollar question is which WR's game will better translate in the NFL?
You can make the argument that Brian Thomas was the best WR taken from last years draft, if you compare last years stats.
Personally, I think Nabers will be the top WR from the draft, when we look back in 5 years.
I do as well, Nabers was my WR1

Even if Hunter didn’t play any CB at all I would have no problem picking him at 4
 
From Reddit: 'Mel Kiper pioneered the concept of 'media scouting' for entertainment purposes. He is one of the early adopters/framers of what the modern draft season is. Move the sexy names around the latest draft big board version 4.0. It's not about real scouting. It's proactive. It's drama.' He's been doing this for decades and they keep coming back. The newest installment features fresh-faced college semi-pro, skinny-legged unicorn who is newly engaged to his gold-digger stripper girlfriend. Foxboro Follies Hall of Fame future.
 
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Hunter is the unicorn because he can play both CB and WR. There's honest debate about which position he'd be better at. The way I read the article was that they ranked the Top 6 WRs, and then threw Hunter in at the end because he might not play WR in the NFL.

Here's Mel Kiper and Field Yates ranking the top WRs in this year's draft. Kiper says that Hunter is "clearly, without any hesitation, by a mile, the best receiver in this draft". Yates agrees, and says that Hunter is "the clear cut top wide receiver" and argues that not only is Hunter a better receiver than CB, but that he's got All-Pro upside as a receiver. Fast forward to the 1:30 mark:


Let’s agree to disagree on where he ranks as a pure wide receiver in this draft.

Let me ask this, why is it Hunter came into the combine listed as a CB? Why not as a WR? Safe to assume this was debated extensively by his team and they came to the conclusion to list him as a CB rather than a WR. But why? Currently, 10 different wide receivers have contracts at or exceeding $90 million in total value. Whereas, cornerbacks claim half that number, with only one over $100 million, as compared to seven receivers who are over the 100 million threshold. Clearly it’s beneficial financially to play the wide receiver position. And IF as you claim, he’s the hands down top wide receiver in this draft, why list yourself as a CB? You can say I’m looking to far into this and it’s insignificant, but it’s obviously a factor in future earnings. I think we all agree he isn’t going to play both sides of the ball full time in the NFL.

I’ll reiterate, I think he’s a great athlete. I think he’s a very good pick in the top 5 for SOME teams. The Patriots have Christian Gonzalez at corner on his rookie deal. They just signed Davis to a lucrative contract to play opposite Gonzalez. The obvious two big needs here in Foxboro are left tackle and wide receiver. At 4th overall is taking the cornerback/ sometimes wide receiver the smart play? IMO if Carter isn’t there I’d look to trade back (no later than 8-9). I think the Pats would find some teams desperate for a top CB.

The patriots don’t need a “unicorn”, they need a stud wide receiver and franchise left tackle.
 
Let’s agree to disagree on where he ranks as a pure wide receiver in this draft.

Let me ask this, why is it Hunter came into the combine listed as a CB? Why not as a WR? Safe to assume this was debated extensively by his team and they came to the conclusion to list him as a CB rather than a WR. But why? Currently, 10 different wide receivers have contracts at or exceeding $90 million in total value. Whereas, cornerbacks claim half that number, with only one over $100 million, as compared to seven receivers who are over the 100 million threshold. Clearly it’s beneficial financially to play the wide receiver position. And IF as you claim, he’s the hands down top wide receiver in this draft, why list yourself as a CB? You can say I’m looking to far into this and it’s insignificant, but it’s obviously a factor in future earnings. I think we all agree he isn’t going to play both sides of the ball full time in the NFL.

I’ll reiterate, I think he’s a great athlete. I think he’s a very good pick in the top 5 for SOME teams. The Patriots have Christian Gonzalez at corner on his rookie deal. They just signed Davis to a lucrative contract to play opposite Gonzalez. The obvious two big needs here in Foxboro are left tackle and wide receiver. At 4th overall is taking the cornerback/ sometimes wide receiver the smart play? IMO if Carter isn’t there I’d look to trade back (no later than 8-9). I think the Pats would find some teams desperate for a top CB.

The patriots don’t need a “unicorn”, they need a stud wide receiver and franchise left tackle.

Players don't decide what position they work out at the combine, teams do. Overall, teams think he's a better CB prospect than WR prospect, but that doesn't mean they think he's not a good WR prospect. He didn't work out anyway, so it didn't really matter.
 
I think the only thing you can do is evaluate Hunter as either a CB or a WR and then decide if he's the 4th overall player on the board based on one specific position. It's almost impossible to say, "Well, he's the 2nd ranked CB and the 5th WR, so therefore he's the 4th best player available," because there's no reason to think he can play both in the NFL. It's too demanding.

He can probably be a part of some packages on the other side of the ball and maybe fill-in in a pinch, but you simply can't assume he can play both offense and defense. Playing in an NFL game is like being in a car crash (that's the actual physical impact). No one can be int wo car crashes every Sunday.
 
Players don't decide what position they work out at the combine, teams do. Overall, teams think he's a better CB prospect than WR prospect, but that doesn't mean they think he's not a good WR prospect. He didn't work out anyway, so it didn't really matter.
Nobody said he’s not a good wide receiver prospect. What I said is it’s debatable he’s the standout top undisputed WR in this draft. I think he’s top 5.
 
Nobody said he’s not a good wide receiver prospect. What I said is it’s debatable he’s the standout top undisputed WR in this draft. I think he’s top 5.

You keep moving the goal posts every time someone disproves one of your points. You keep coming back to how we you rank the player as a WR when that's not the point we're debating. People have a problem with the incorrect statements you've made about the situation, that's it.

You claimed Hunter's team decided to list him as a CB at the combine, when that's categorically false (see multiple articles: 2025 NFL combine: Travis Hunter reveals the third position he can play and talks NFL future - CBSSports.com; Getting defensive: Hunter enters combine as DB). You claimed Bleacher Report ranked him as the 7th best WR, when he was just included as a bonus contribution, and put last as a result, not because he was ranked last.
 
I think the only thing you can do is evaluate Hunter as either a CB or a WR and then decide if he's the 4th overall player on the board based on one specific position. It's almost impossible to say, "Well, he's the 2nd ranked CB and the 5th WR, so therefore he's the 4th best player available," because there's no reason to think he can play both in the NFL. It's too demanding.

He can probably be a part of some packages on the other side of the ball and maybe fill-in in a pinch, but you simply can't assume he can play both offense and defense. Playing in an NFL game is like being in a car crash (that's the actual physical impact). No one can be int wo car crashes every Sunday.

I think the value in scouting both is that it helps measure the risk of picking him. When teams evaluate players, they don't just look at ceiling, but also floor. It might be talent level (maybe a player doesn't have All-Pro potential, but you feel certain they're a long-term average starter) or position (there are tons of tackle linemen prospects who might not be able to stay there and have to move to guard instead).

With Hunter, you have this situation where there's a totally different position you can try him at if he doesn't work out as you hoped at the primary one. That removes some risk, making him more valuable. It might not be as valuable in a typical year, but there are so many questions about 1st round prospects this year that it's more impactful than usual. Like last year, it wouldn't have been as valuable because there was so much talent at the top of the draft and he would have most likely gone in the 10-15 range as a CB only prospect.
 
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You keep moving the goal posts every time someone disproves one of your points. You keep coming back to how we you rank the player as a WR when that's not the point we're debating. People have a problem with the incorrect statements you've made about the situation, that's it.

You claimed Hunter's team decided to list him as a CB at the combine, when that's categorically false (see multiple articles: 2025 NFL combine: Travis Hunter reveals the third position he can play and talks NFL future - CBSSports.com; Getting defensive: Hunter enters combine as DB). You claimed Bleacher Report ranked him as the 7th best WR, when he was just included as a bonus contribution, and put last as a result, not because he was ranked last.
I’m not moving any goalposts. You interpreted the article differently than I did. Clearly when Bleacher Report started the article at #1 they spoke highly of that pick, and gradually their ratings became less favorable as they reached #6. IF as you claim Hunter was the top wideout would he not be listed as #1?

You continue to ignore why he’s listed as a CB in most scouting reports and mock drafts. Yet you state “Hunters team didn’t decide what position he’d be listed at, the teams decide” (debatable), but you never question WHY the NFL teams work him out as a CB? Or why on scouting report after another he’s listed as a CB.

The original post I replied to stated he was a MUST take for the Pats at #4. I disagreed. Christian Gonzalez is your top CB & Davis is your 2. Pats need a WR, imo Hunter isn’t the best WR in this draft. He absolutely isn’t playing both sides of the ball full time in the NFL.
 
I think the value in scouting both is that it helps measure the risk of picking him. When teams evaluate players, they don't just look at ceiling, but also floor. It might be talent level (maybe a player doesn't have All-Pro potential, but you feel certain they're a long-term average starter) or position (there are tons of tackle linemen prospects who might not be able to stay there and have to move to guard instead).

With Hunter, you have this situation where there's a totally different position you can try him at if he doesn't work out as you hoped at the primary one. That removes some risk, making him more valuable. It might not be as valuable in a typical year, but there are so many questions about 1st round prospects this year that it's more impactful than usual. Like last year, it wouldn't have been as valuable because there was so much talent at the top of the draft and he would have most likely gone in the 10-15 range as a CB only prospect.
So if Hunter doesn’t work out as hoped as a WR, Pats can move him to CB? Sound strategy. If you need a WR you pick a WR. If you need a LT you pick a LT. Trading back seems the play if Carter isn’t there imo.

I don’t see the Pats using the 4th overall on a QB (Maye) or a CB (Gonzalez).
 
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