Once again, the Patriots are in a fascinating position in the upcoming draft, as they hold the fourth overall pick and don't need a quarterback. Because they selected Drake Maye last year, they won't be limited to who they can pick, opening plenty of doors to take one of the best overall prospects of the entire draft class.
For much of the last few months, they have been tied to some of the most desirable offensive players this year's draft has to offer. It began with Colorado's dual threat and Heisman Trophy Winner Travis Hunter, shifted to LSU left tackle Will Campbell, and more recently involved Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
This inevitably created even more buzz in New England during the Combine, seeing who the Patriots would seemingly gravitate toward and what rumors would begin because of it.
Given Mike Vrabel's presence, a few defensive players have been added to the mix, like Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham and (of course) Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter. But neither has become the top target for the Patriots, as the latest reporting suggests it's exactly who was favored to be their pick back in October.
The Patriots seem to have narrowed their first round focus to Travis Hunter
It's not surprising that they are said to be the most intrigued by Hunter despite him not performing the drills throughout the week. He's still considered a top-2 player of the class and could be the first off the board, which would be far from ideal for the Patriots.
He is being reported as their top target offensively and defensively, since he can play both and it is yet to be determined how the team that drafts him will divvy up his time. That's what the team at MassLive revealed on Friday, after being in person for the Combine all week and hearing the chatter surrounding New England's interests.
"Defensively, the Patriots believe the best cornerback in the draft is — Travis Hunter. Offensively, the Patriots believe the best wideout in the draft is — Travis Hunter. Whether the two-way Heisman winner is still on the board at No. 4 is a different question."
Considering Hunter could fill the role of their vacant WR1 while also being a great partner to cornerback Christian Gonzalez, it makes too much sense that they're nearly dead set on him being their first round draft pick.
The problem is that there's a good chance he won't even fall that far given how impressive he has been and the teams picking ahead of the Patriots could determine he's too good of a player to pass up, even if he doesn't fit needs on their roster as much as other players would.
Current rumors claim the Titans, who pick first, will take EDGE Abdul Carter, leaving the Browns to likely choose a quarterback given their problems with Deshaun Watson. The Giants are on the board next at No. 3, and what they will do is a bit of a mystery since they don't have a quarterback and are said to be looking into veteran free agents for the role, most notably Aaron Rodgers.
Depending on what they end up doing will determine if Hunter could be a possibility for the Patriots, which isn't the greatest spot to be in for a team that desperately needs a player of his caliber. A lot will be determined through free agency, good and bad developments, and it will provide a clearer picture of whether Hunter is really the guy they want or could have.