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Patriots Already Scouting Likely Top-10 Draft Pick in 2025

The New England Patriots were in attendance at Thursday's North Dakota State-Colorado game.

By Jovan Alford

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center.
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The New England Patriots are at the beginning of their rebuild as they are about to embark on Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. 

There aren’t a ton of expectations for the Jerod Mayo-led Patriots as they are young at a lot of positions (wide receiver, defensive line) and will eventually turn over the starting quarterback job to rookie Drake Maye.

That said, the Patriots will likely be picking in the top 10 of the draft next spring for the second consecutive season, which could net them a game-changing player. With that in mind, the Pats’ front office and scouting department are already doing their due diligence. 

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots were one of the 18 teams in attendance for Thursday’s college football game between the Colorado Buffaloes and North Dakota State Bison.

Reiss mentioned that New England is still searching for a No. 1 wide receiver and a player such as Colorado’s Travis Hunter could be on their radar.

"Given the team's ongoing quest for a No. 1 receiver, it might be a preview of how thorough the Patriots will be in their evaluation of Colorado dynamic pass catcher Travis Hunter, who is the No. 9 prospect in ESPN analyst Field Yates' rankings."

Hunter is one of the most dynamic players in college football as he can line up at wide receiver and cornerback. The Pats do not need a cornerback as they already have Christian Gonzalez, but a Gonzalez-Hunter tandem in the secondary would be impressive.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Patriots could use Hunter at wide receiver to pair with Ja’Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas, and Javon Baker. Hunter put on a show against North Dakota State, posting seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns.

Last season at Colorado, Hunter had 57 receptions for 721 yards and five scores. If Hunter continues on this pace for the rest of the season, he’ll continue to vault up draft boards and should be a player that New England considers when the time comes next year.

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