Vitals

High-end NFL Player Comp(s): Odell Beckham Jr.

Low-end NFL Player Comp(s): Chris Olave

Best Scheme Fit: (If he is allowed to play receiver full-time) "Z" receiver in any offense that showcases his run-after-catch skills and contested-catch ability.

Best Team Fit(s): Giants, Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders, Browns, Packers

Non-bolded times - Good examples of attribute
Bolded times - Average/poor examples of attribute

* - How well does his skill set carry over to the fantasy game? For receivers, a player needs to be a realistic threat for 70 catches and 1,000 receiving yards at some point early in their career to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional scarcity at the pro level is also a part of the equation.

Positives

• ELITE change-of-direction; quick-twitch ability makes him an absolute menace in the open field and difficult for cornerbacks to hang with in and out of cuts.
  
  
• Combines rare (vertical) explosion, the ability to contort his body and next-level ball skills to win the majority of contested-catch situations.
  
  
• Rapid accelerator who leaves a vapor trail with his speed.
  
  
• Experience as a high-level cornerback gives him a unique understanding of how to win on routes; specializes in moving defenders off their spot and selling them on a vertical route to create space and amplify his run-after-catch ability.
  
  
• Defensive experience also helps him understand the importance of varying the pace of his routes and easily recognize voids in zone coverage.
  
  
• Tough and fearless playmaker who consistently works back to his quarterback when the play breaks down.
  

Negatives

• (For those hoping he will be a full-time receiver) He is this draft's top cornerback prospect, which casts doubt on how many snaps he will take as a receiver at the next level.
  
  
• Wiry frame and relative lack of functional strength could make it hard for him to stay on his route path against the NFL corners who cannot come close to matching his athleticism.
  
  
• Double duty (playing defense), his willingness to sell out to make a contested catch and the amount of stress he puts on his body sometimes when he is trying to change direction make him a huge durability risk (missed significant time in 2022, three games with a lacerated liver in 2023 and exited early against Kansas State in 2024 with a shoulder issue).
  
  
• Was always the best athlete on the field in college; will not have the luxury of dancing (waiting for a run-after-catch opportunity) in the open field as often in the pros.
  
  
• While he occasionally ran something that was not a screen, hitch or go route, it did not happen as much as it should have; had to rely very heavily on athletic ability and second-reaction plays.
  
  
• Drew an abnormal amount of pass interference penalties in college but also got away with his fair share of pushing off on downfield throws.
  

Bottom Line

Any discussion about Hunter almost has to begin with what position he will play the most in the NFL. The consensus is that he will be a full-time cornerback and part-time receiver, but he is determined to prove that he can be the first modern-era player who can play both ways full-time. It would honestly be a waste of his skills if he is not utilized as a receiver on at least half of his next team's offensive snaps, and it should come as no surprise if he simply proves to be too good to be anything less than a team's No. 2 receiver as a rookie. It should go without saying he is the most electric athlete in this draft. His upside as a receiver is astronomical, in part because he is such a good athlete and in part because he got by so often on athletic ability alone.

Colorado's coaching staff did little to prepare him for the pro game as a receiver, relying heavily on spread formations to create space. What's more is that it was extremely rare when Shedeur Sanders took a three- or five-step drop and hit Hunter on a slant or an out route (13 combined targets on those routes). This kind of thing should have been a given considering Hunter's run-after-catch ability.

A common belief in scouting is to focus on what a player can do and not on what a player cannot (or was not asked to) do, so let's do that here. Hunter is exceptional at tracking the ball and winning in contested catch situations. He is arguably as dynamic as any receiver prospect in recent memory after the catch. His conditioning is extraordinary, regularly playing well over 100 snaps in a game. Most of the negatives with him are more things that he was not asked to do. Hunter's football IQ is next-level, so I have no question about his ability to sharpen his route-running, which will need to happen. He was always the best athlete on the field in college; he won't have the luxury of dancing in the open field as often in the pros. I also question Hunter's ability to add strength without losing his twitchiness and staying healthy all season (if not because of playing both sides of the ball, then because he puts his body in such peril on contested catches).

As much as I would like him to prove his doubters wrong and play on both sides of the ball, I am not sure his body can handle it game after game and year after year. He has superstar potential on either side of the ball if that one side is his focus, but the overall rawness in his game makes him the second-best receiver prospect in this draft for me.


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