It’s not too early for the Arizona Cardinals to scout Travis Hunter
By Sion Fawkes
When you talk about Shades of Deion Sanders, Travis Hunter should come to mind and the Arizona Cardinals should be listening. Even if the true sophomore won’t enter the NFL Draft until 2025 at the earliest, he looks like a future Top 15 pick, and it’s not too early for general manager Monti Ossenfort to keep tabs on him.
You may remember Hunter committing to Jackson State to play for Sanders in 2022, before he followed the coach to Colorado this year. In their big win yesterday, Hunter played the Ironman role, snagging 11 receptions for 119 yards. On defense, Hunter recorded a pass deflection and an interception, helping the Buffaloes stave off the TCU Horned Frogs.
Arizona Cardinals must keep an eye on Travis Hunter in 2023, 2024
If Travis Hunter won’t be draft-eligible until 2025, then what’s the point of giving him too much attention now if resources can be used better elsewhere? Hey, Monti Ossenfort is playing the long game, so there shouldn’t be anything wrong with planning two, or even three years ahead.
Suppose the Cardinals land the first overall pick in 2024 and they no longer want Kyler Murray. Let’s say they do the right thing and take someone other than Caleb Williams, opting for either Drake Maye or Shedeur Sanders.
At the same time, the Houston Texans also falter and it paves the way for our Redbirds to snag Marvin Harrison Jr. Chances are, the Cards are still picking in the Top 15 in 2025, and it could put them in a prime position to draft Hunter.
Now you have a quarterback, whether it’s Murray or one of the other aforementioned names, and a potential reincarnation of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin - assuming Hunter predominantly plays receiver as opposed to cornerback. These are just a couple of scenarios, but it shows the importance of why Ossenfort should be looking not only at 2024 talent, but also those in 2025, and perhaps even 2026.
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(Statistics provided by ESPN.com)