Travis Hunter is among the most highly touted NFL Draft prospects in recent memory. The two-way superstar has seemingly been on the radar for professional teams since he was in high school. After living up to the hype at the collegiate level and winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy, the former Colorado Buffaloes star is projected as a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While he was originally expected to have a draft watch party along with Shedeur Sanders in Boulder, Colo., Hunter has since decided to attend the draft and will be present in the green room. Furthermore, he will be joined by his father, who is currently serving a year of probation under home confinement due to drug and gun charges, following a recent court ruling.
Travis Hunter Sr. Set To Attend 2025 NFL Draft With His Son
Despite being released from jail nine days before the 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony, Travis Hunter Sr. was not able to attend his son’s ceremony due to legal reasons. The younger Hunter shared a message with him after winning the most prestigious award in college football.
“I want to say something to my father. He’s not here and wasn’t able to make it, but I know you’re watching on TV. Dad, I love you. For all the stuff you went through, man … Now look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man,” Hunter said.
“All the times that you didn’t get to see me, or the times you did come to see my games. From not seeing probably two games in high school to seeing me on TV every weekend and coming to see me. That means so much to me. I know you wanted to be here, and you can’t, but trust me, I got you. I’m bringing the trophy home. I love you.”
Hunter Sr. was arrested in 2023 on drug and gun charges and sentenced to 90 days in jail. He was given three years of probation upon his release, with the first year set to be spent under home confinement. On Tuesday, April 22, he was granted permission by a court to travel to Green Bay, Wis., for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Travis Hunter's father is getting dressed to watch his son get drafted.
He's currently on three-year probation and received court approval to attend his son's NFL Draft ♥️ pic.twitter.com/qNBXO25WWs
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) April 24, 2025
He will arrive on Wednesday, April 23, the day before the draft, and leave on Friday, April 24, the day after the first round. Aside from attending the draft at Lambeau Field, Hunter Sr. will be restricted to the grounds of the hotel.
He previously shared that he wanted to be present for two events: his son being drafted and getting married. Following the recent ruling, he will have the opportunity to make his first wish a reality.
Travis Hunter’s NFL Draft Scouting Report
Hunter enters the NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class, and he also profiles as one of the most intriguing players in recent memory since he legitimately qualifies as a top-five pick at two positions. He is truly a one-of-one type of NFL prospect that will spark a lot of debate for not just the media, but decision-makers at the top of the draft as well.
The question, of course, lies in what position Hunter will play at the next level or if it’s a combination of the two. As a prospect, Hunter possesses below-average overall size and length but offers once-in-a-generation type of overall athleticism. He has rare quickness, speed, and burst that allow him to excel and win against most players he lines up against on either side of the ball.
Furthermore, Hunter has rare instincts, ball skills and is hyper-competitive, all of which are evident in the way he plays the game. When playing offense, Hunter is a big-play threat whenever he touches the football. He displays rare ability with the ball in his hands and has outstanding start/stop quickness and lateral agility to make defenders miss in the open field. Additionally, his speed and acceleration allow him to defeat angles and hit big plays.
Hunter is not the most refined route runner and lacks the nuance in his game to set up defenders throughout the route — something that he must develop as he plays more athletic corners in the NFL. With that being said, Hunter can create easy separation at the top of the route as he explodes out of cuts, often leaving his defender stuck in place.
Hunter is a tremendous deep threat with the speed to stretch the field and the ball skills to track the football downfield. He has the rare ability to play the football in the air and is a tremendous ball-winner, even though he has a smaller frame. Hunter has exceptional hands and can catch outside of his frame with ease. His lack of size limits his ability to break tackles as a ball carrier and also makes it difficult for him to sustain blocks down the field; however, the effort is there.
On the defensive side of the football, Hunter projects to be a lockdown cover man who can excel in both zone and man disciplines. In zone coverage, Hunter displays outstanding instincts and awareness. He can read the quarterback’s eyes while dropping back in his zone and has the quickness to put his foot in the ground to make a play on the football. His foot quickness and hip fluidity allow him to be exceptional in mirroring route patterns in man coverage.
He is able to stay in phase against most receivers and is never panicked when working down the field. He is a playmaker at corner and has the ability to play the football and come up with interceptions.
His size is a concern, however, as he lacks the mass and length to be left on an island against NFL-caliber receivers. Hunter struggles when asked to press receivers at the line of scrimmage and can easily get overpowered by bigger wideouts. He lacks the size to win at the catch point at times and will be a liability in run support as he struggles to get off blocks consistently.
To make Hunter’s evaluation a bit more murky, he’s also struggled to stay healthy throughout his collegiate career. His lack of size and the fact that he played more snaps than any player in college football make Hunter an injury risk at the next level, and teams may argue he cannot play both ways on a full-time basis in the NFL.
While many evaluators think Hunter’s ideal fit is as a full-time corner who plays a handful of offensive snaps, some think he has more upside as a full-time receiver. His rare athleticism should translate easily on the offensive side of the football, and he can be an instant game-changing player at receiver.
There is no wrong answer here, however, and whichever team drafts him will surely be getting a franchise-altering talent.