“Listen Drake, you’ve got ‘em. When we get in the huddle, encourage them. Say some things. Nothing earth-shattering, but always really encouraged him be a leader.” Drake Maye’s father and coach, Mark, knows how to motivate his son. He wants the New England Patriots quarterback to buckle up and push his team as a true leader, helping them reach their destination. Last time, the Pats weren’t ready. They continued to struggle with the uncertainty about their quarterback and coaching situation. But now, with things settling down, all eyes are on Maye and new HC Mike Vrabel. It’s the HC’s job to strengthen the team, possibly by adding a dynamic weapon like Travis Hunter.

Keeping with his tradition of 21 consecutive years, draft analyst Mike Band revealed Travis Hunter to be one of the most coveted prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old’s dynamic playmaking has been the talk of the town. It’s especially true when Hunter has displayed his abilities as both cornerback and wide receiver. Like many NFL franchises, Mike Vrabel and the Patriots want this electrifying two-way star on their roster. It’s good to think that way. But there is a piece of advice for the Foxborough team.

The Ringer’s Todd McShay joined The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday to discuss the NFL. During their conversation, Eisen asked McShay about his take on the Pats and other teams eyeing Travis Hunter. To which, the analyst said, “I don’t think it varies in the conversations I have with teams based off of AV evaluation. But more so kind of what the need is in the situation, you can’t draft Travis Hunter if you’re New England. And look at Drake Maye like ‘yeah, we’re going to play him at corner full time, we just got Christian Gonzalez and we just brought in Carlton Davis at the other corner spot. So we’re gonna put him at nickel right away and you get 20 plays with them on offense.’ That’s not how it’s going to work.”

Instead, McShay has a better plan to use Travis Hunter in this case. How? Well, he said that if he is “Mike Vrabel in that organization and we draft Travis Hunter, he’s got to be a weapon for Drake Maye, first and foremost.” So, for the analyst, Hunter should be a weapon first for quarterback Drake Maye. Then, later, they can decide on his other playing roles. According to the analyst, after doing that, the head coach could find strategic ways to use him on defense, maybe in third-down situations or the red zone. But offense should be the priority.

The Patriots are in the process of roster-building. They are the among the teams eagerly anticipating the NFL Draft. One major reason is that they are eyeing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter, as the potential no. 4 overall pick. Todd McShay had some more advice—a strong stance on Hunter’s versatile roles.

Forgetting other teams’ thoughts, should Travis Hunter focus on WR role?

No doubt, the 2-way Unicorn’s primary functionality and role has divided NFL teams with major confusion. As mentioned above, on the field, Travis Hunter has played both cornerback and wide receiver. And now that he is one of the top prospects of the draft, which slot should NFL teams choose him for? More importantly, what’s the position that the athlete himself should go with at present?

Analyst Todd McShay, in the same episode, compared Travis Hunter to Garrett Wilson. It’s no secret that Wilson has the versatility to shift between the slot, playing as a Z receiver (off the line) and the X receiver (lined up on the weak side). Similarly, Hunter is a player with the dual ability to play corner and receiver. That’s why McShay said, “I think he’s Garrett Wilson and maybe a little bit more dynamic after the catch.”

About three months ago, Travis Hunter made a jaw-dropping 23-yard touchdown catch in a game with an Oklahoma State defender in his face. That was truly unbelievable! Hence, keeping that in note, McShay expressed, “And I think he’s a little more advanced (than Wilson) even though he spent the majority of his time like in meetings and the focus at corner. I think he’s a little bit more ready to be a big time player at wide receiver right now in the league than he is at corner. He’s going to be awesome either or both. But I think he’s a little bit more advanced receiver.”

So, the analyst’s verdict is clear and it suits the Patriots’ immediate needs a little better. What remains to be seen is which path Travis Hunter chooses for himself and his future franchise embraces.