Saints pick Colorado superstar Travis Hunter in way-too-soon 2025 mock draft
Way-too-early mock drafts are more useful as a college football watch list than real predictions, and with the 2024 NFL draft behind us a lot of attention is already turning to the 2025 NFL draft — premature as that may seem.
So who is being linked to the New Orleans Saints? We don’t even know where they’ll be picking, but using the latest Super Bowl odds for draft order has them at No. 9 overall. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler shared his one-year-away forecast, which has the Saints picking Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter:
Cornerback or wide receiver? Hunter is at his most dangerous with the ball in his hands, so there is a good chance we see him drafted for offense. He routinely turns short catches into long gains.
Hunter is one of the standouts for Deion Sanders’ program along with his son Shedeur Sanders, the team’s starting quarterback (who Brugler has being picked later in the first round next year). There aren’t many players like him who can play both wideout and corner at such a high level. Last year, Sanders recorded 592 snaps on defense and intercepted 3 passes, breaking up 5 more. He also logged 452 snaps on offense and caught 57 passes for 721 yards, scoring 5 touchdowns.
He would be a good get for the Saints no matter where he ultimately lines up, but they do have a greater need at receiver after investing so many resources in the secondary. Hunter is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds which is comparable to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but his playmaking ability overrules any concerns about redundancy with comparable body types.
At the same time… if the Saints are picking high enough to get him next year, there’s a good chance it’s because Derek Carr wasn’t a good fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and the team’s season went in the tank because of it. Another talented receiver or corner would be great to have, but if the Saints are picking this high they should look to get a quarterback who can get them back to the playoffs.
