Travis Hunter's Heisman fixation should be a red flag for NFL teams

There are several elite wide receivers in college football right now. Players like Tre Harris, Luther Burden, Tetairoa McMillan, and Travis Hunter are a few of those names that will be draft eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft while being among those elite.

Arguably the most appealing athletically would be Colorado’s Travis Hunter. Not only is Hunter a great receiver and dynamic with the ball in his hands, but he also plays defense as well. Hunter’s athleticism and ability to play both ways makes him even more of a draw to NFL teams.

During the season, Hunter ranks 10th amongst all wide receivers with 49 receptions for 587 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, Hunter has five interceptions from the cornerback position, appearing in 16 games between last season and so far, this year.

Hunter’s stats and ability are so valuable that it has propelled him by many to be a potential first-overall pick. However, on field performance is not all that matters. As we have seen time and time again, off-field distractions can be a detriment to a team, and Hunter could put a team into whichever team drafts him.

Reasons NFL teams should not draft Travis Hunter

Locker room distraction

Some players are louder than others when it comes to saying how they feel instead of just playing between the lines. Lately, it seems, Hunter has taken to expressing himself a lot which has largely been picked up through the media.

In a media interview at the University of Colorado recently, Hunter stated, “Nobody do what I do. It’s just that simple.”

While this may genuinely be how Hunter feels and true, saying things like this can cause a lot of division in the locker room making other players feel like you think they are inferior to you.

A counter-example to this would be Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Justin Jefferson. Since his time at LSU, Jefferson has done nothing but put his head down, work, and thrive on the field. The former three-star product has been proving people wrong since high school and letting his play speak for it.

Media target

While like Jefferson in college Hunter’s play is speaking volumes right now, the media in the NFL will eat someone up who is not shy about sharing their thoughts and feelings. And when it comes across as selfish, they will feast on it. If Hunter ends up going to a smaller market and not to a larger one, this may help some, but it would still be something that could be an issue regardless of where he ends up.

Selfishness

The last thing NFL teams want is a “me” guy. Hunter recently took to the media and compared himself to Boise State running back, Ashton Jeanty in regards to the Heisman Trophy race. Both Hunter and Jeanty are front-runners for the award at this point in the season with Jeanty seemingly having a slight end.

Hunter was recently on an episode of Outta Pocket with RGIII, Hunter was not shy about how he thought he stacked up against Jeanty.

“I mean y’all see Ashton Jeanty, it’s not like we haven’t seen a running back that’s good. We haven’t seen a player that plays both ways and I’m gonna keep saying that.”

This could largely be seen as translating to a “give me the ball” type of attitude at the NFL level. And we have seen this before several times over. Some recent examples of this are Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Stefon Diggs. Although these three players are great statistically, none have won a Super Bowl to date, and the 30-year-old Diggs is the only one of the group still playing.

These comments from Hunter are somewhat surprising as you rarely see college players talk about themselves when it comes to the Heisman Trophy. Most deflect to referencing their care for the team and the team winning above all else.

For all of the reasons mentioned above, alarms should sound for NFL teams before taking a chance on Hunter, despite his athleticism.